By Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s lavish $120 million self-funded feature “Megalopolis” has reportedly scored its first distribution deals.
The film has found distribution in France via Le Pacte with that distributor’s founder and president Jean Labadie telling outlet Le Point Pop (via Reddit) that the film has already secured distributors in Germany, Italy, the UK and Spain.
Those distributors will reportedly be revealed on Monday. Labadie also reveals the distribution contract has a “hold back” clause which stipulates they have to wait for the film’s U.S. release before distributing it in France.
He adds that they will likely put it out the same week as the U.S. in an effort to avoid piracy. Coppola also has some technical screening conditions which exhibitors are committed to meeting.
Asked why U.S. studios have balked on distributing the film, he says:
“The majors are now run by people who follow the stock market above all else… If a studio were to receive scripts for The Panic in Needle Park, Midnight Cowboy or The Conversation, it would refuse to distribute them.
I’ve got nothing against Barbie, I’m always happy when a film is a popular success, but clearly Megalopolis isn’t Barbie. In any case, I have enormous confidence in the public.
You have to trust them, they’re much more intelligent than some industry professionals think, and Megalopolis has everything it takes to appeal to a wide theatrical audience. Yes, it’s obviously aimed at film buffs, but it’s spectacular in every sense of the word and should appeal to a wide audience.”
He also says it’s a film that “keeps surprising you, both by the story and the form… I challenge audiences to predict what will happen from one scene to the next, you can’t.”
“Megalopolis” will premiere at Cannes this week.
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