Francis Ford Coppola has responded to the news that Atlanta Filmed Megalopolis received six Razzie nominations, including worst director, worst picture, and worst screenplay. The director’s $120 million passion project has already faced harsh criticism, with the film’s box office earnings falling short at just $12 million globally.
The Razzies, the annual pre-Oscars mock awards recognizing the year’s worst films, gave Megalopolis several “honors” this week, including worst director for Coppola and a win for co-star Jon Voight. Coppola took to Instagram to address the nominations, writing, “I am thrilled to accept the Razzie award in so many important categories for @megalopolisfilm, 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!”
He continued by criticizing the current state of the film industry: “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 also referenced Jacques Tati, calling him a “great and courageous filmmaker” who made Playtime, which, despite being a financial failure, became a beloved classic.
Coppola ended his message by emphasizing that box office numbers don’t define a film’s value: “Box-office is only about money, and like war, stupidity, and politics has no true place in our future.”
While Coppola’s critiques of the industry may hold some truth, Megalopolis still received its fair share of Razzie criticism. The film was labeled “WTF: The Movie” and described as “an incoherent $120 million mess from the fabled director of The Godfather.” It also singled out Shia LaBeouf and Jon Voight, the latter of whom won a Razzie for his performance.
