Francis Ford Coppola, who has five Oscars to his name, is now officially a Razzie Award winner, receiving Worst Director for helming Megalopolis. In a social media post, the legendary filmmaker shared his reaction to this “honor,” using it as an opportunity to critique the current Hollywood landscape that is “terrified of risk.” Coppola also took the time to thank all of his collaborators on Megalopolis and took great pride in being able to “stand alongside” other notable filmmakers who directed “beloved failures,” such as Jacques Tati of Playtime fame.
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“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!” Coppola’s caption reads. “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.” You can check out his post in the space below:
Megalopolis, Coppola’s long-gestating passion project, had been in development for decades before it was released last year. The story follows Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), an architect who dreams of rebuilding the world as a utopia. Coppola used $120 million of his own money to get the film off the ground, but despite hopes this would be his next great epic, Megalopolis was not well-received. It earned mixed reviews and only grossed $14.3 million at the worldwide box office. It even generated controversy for incorporating fake pull quotes from real film critics in its trailer.
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At the 2025 Razzies, Megalopolis was nominated in five categories, winning two (Worst Director and Worst Supporting Actor). It was up for Worst Picture, but “lost” that award to Madame Web. While Megalopolis was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, it did not gain any significant traction on the awards circuit.
Your mileage may vary on how effective Megalopolis is as a piece of storytelling, but anyone who’s seen it knows it most definitely bucks traditional filmmaking conventions. It is Coppola’s vision through and through, and there is something to admire in that. Furthermore, there is some truth to what Coppola is saying about the film industry as a whole. Hollywood has become risk-averse, leaning heavily on established IP to carry the box office — a formula that has delivered admittedly mixed results. Even if one didn’t enjoy Megalopolis, they can probably agree with that sentiment. Coppola made a name for himself helming classics like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, films that arguably would be very difficult to make today.
That’s not to say there aren’t directors out there taking big swings, but on the mainstream level, the likes of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer are the exception, not the rule. Megalopolis didn’t ignite a shift in direction for the film industry, though it’s clear Coppola is hoping things change in the near future. Successes like the Barbenheimer phenomenon and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films illustrate there’s an appetite for unique titles driven by a talented director’s vision (even as superhero adaptations remain as prevalent as ever). Hopefully, studios will find a space to give those voices room to breathe.
Did you see Megalopolis? Do you think it deserved Worst Director? Let us know in the comments!
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