Francis Ford Coppola responds to Megalopolis receiving multiple Razzie nominations.
His 2024 film, a decades-long passion project he personally financed, debuted to sharply divided reviews and struggled at the box office. Now, it has earned six nominations at the 45th Golden Raspberry Awards, which mock the Oscars by spotlighting the year’s “worst” films. The nominations include Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screen Combo (for the entire Megalopolis cast).
Reacting to the Razzie nods, Coppola shared on Instagram that he’s “thrilled to accept” the nominations. He criticized the industry’s lack of boldness today and compared Megalopolis to Jacques Tati’s Playtime, a film that initially flopped financially but later became a revered classic. He also expressed gratitude to his cast and crew, emphasizing that box office numbers are ultimately irrelevant to a film’s legacy. Read Coppola’s full post below:
Advertisement I am thrilled to accept the Razzie award in so many important categories for ‘Megalopolis,’ and for the distinctive honor of being nominated as the worst director, worst screenplay, and worst picture at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary moviemaking! In this wreck of a world today, where art is given scores as if it were professional wrestling, I chose to not follow the gutless rules laid down by an industry so terrified of risk that despite the enormous pool of young talent at its disposal, may not create pictures that will be relevant and alive 50 years from now.
Coppola wrote on Instagram.
What an honor to stand alongside a great and courageous filmmaker like Jacques Tati who impoverished himself completely to make one of cinema’s most beloved failures, ‘Playtime.’ My sincere thanks to all my brilliant colleagues who joined me to make our work of art, ‘Megalopolis,’ and let us remind ourselves that box office is only about money, and like war, stupidity and politics have no true place in our future.
Coppola continued,
Megalopolis has sparked mixed reactions from critics—some applauding Coppola’s direction and themes, while others faulted it for lacking focus and narrative balance. Audience reception was more negative, with the film scoring 35% on Rotten Tomatoes‘ Popcornmeter and 4.7/10 on IMDb. It also flopped at the box office, earning just $14.3 million worldwide against its hefty $120-136 million budget. Its six Razzie nominations further highlight the film’s polarizing reception.
Though Megalopolis isn’t among Coppola’s best films, his response to the Razzie nominations—embracing them with pride and emphasizing his refusal to follow industry norms—reflects the dedication he poured into the project.
He first conceived the idea in 1977 and attempted to bring it to life in 1989 and 2001, but studios wouldn’t finance it. To make the film on his own terms, he built a successful wine business and invested $120 million of its profits into production. Despite the film’s negative reception, Coppola remains proud of it as the realization of a decades-long passion.
Given the overwhelming negative reviews from both critics and audiences, Megalopolis’ multiple Razzie nominations come as no surprise. While Coppola’s response is commendable—standing by his film despite the backlash—it’s clear the movie was both a critical and commercial failure. His comparison to Playtime may be overly optimistic, but only time will tell if Megalopolis earns a reevaluation in the future.
Source: Frances Ford Coppola/Instagram