Megalopolis back in theatres with live Coppola Q&A
Francis Ford Coppola will take live questions from cinema audiences across the United States when Megalopolis returns to theatres on 24 October 2026.
It is the first full return since the film's 2024 launch, according to Deadline. Reading International, Inc. has booked cinemas nationwide from New York to Hawaii to show the film at the same time. Village East Cinemas in New York is among the venues.
Every screening will be followed by a live-streamed question-and-answer session with Francis Ford Coppola, moderated by his son Roman Coppola. Roman Coppola was second unit director on Megalopolis, the crew that films supplementary shots away from the main unit. Audience members can text in questions before, during and after the film for Coppola to answer live.
The night is built as an interactive event rather than a standard revival. Each audience member will receive a hard-copy letter from Coppola containing his director's statement to read before the screening. Each screening will also include the "Live Element", a performance piece that was available only at select screenings during the original release.
The ensemble cast is headed by Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, Shia LaBeouf, Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. Megalopolis is set in a futuristic New York and was Coppola's first film in 13 years.
The production was a $120 million epic that Coppola paid for himself, as reported by Reuters. It premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival before Lionsgate secured US distribution, which covers cinemas in the United States and Canada, with a stateside release on 27 September 2024, according to Deadline.
Coppola has decided the film will not go to domestic-based streaming services or to DVDs made for the US market. Instead it will return to theatres periodically, including screenings in multiple theatres every New Year's Day.
For fans, this means the 24 October date is a chance to see the film as Coppola wants it seen. Read the letter. Watch with a crowd. Then put a question straight to the director.
