Imagine dropping $120 million of your own money—then refusing to let anyone watch the results on their couch. That's not artistic integrity. That's Francis Ford Coppola rewriting the rules of 21st-century distribution.
“Megalopolis,” Coppola's long-gestating dream project, has become the rarest of cinematic unicorns: a film you can't stream, download, or even buy on Blu-ray in North America. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this wasn't a corporate decision or a licensing snafu. It was Coppola himself—willingly walking away from potentially tens of millions in home release revenue.
“He wants it to play in theaters, the way it was intended,” says a source close to the 86-year-old director. And he means it. The film isn't just avoiding a streaming deal; it's not getting any kind of home release. As of now, the only way to watch “Megalopolis” is on the big screen—or through less-than-legal torrenting routes, which, let's be honest, feel like a strange inevitability in this kind of media vacuum.
This isn't the first time a director has snubbed streaming in favor of the theatrical experience. Christopher Nolan famously insisted that Tenet hit cinemas during the height of the pandemic, nearly kamikaze-ing the box office in the name of “the theatrical window.” Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and even Martin Scorsese have all made impassioned pleas for keeping film “in the temple.”
But Coppola's choice cuts deeper. This isn't just preference—it's abstinence. No digital footprint. No Criterion collectors' edition. Nothing for future film students to freeze-frame on.
Historically, directors have made similar gambits—Stanley Kubrick controlled the aspect ratios and TV airings of his films obsessively. But pulling a film from VOD entirely in 2025? That's a different level of defiance. Especially considering that Coppola reportedly sank over $70 million of his own money into the production.
If you're wondering how risky that is: just ask Alejandro Jodorowsky. His Dune project never even got filmed—and became legend. Coppola's “Megalopolis” is filmed, finished, and still inaccessible. It's a ghost movie—but not the kind you think.
So here's the question: Is this noble preservation of cinematic purity—or stubborn nostalgia dressed in auteur mystique? Either way, the message is clear: Coppola's not just making movies. He's making a point.
Would you wait for the theater tour—or risk the torrent? Tell us below.
