### Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis Falters with Dismal Box Office Debut

Francis Ford Coppola's latest venture, "Megalopolis," has had a disappointing start at the box office. Despite being a modern American sci-fi retelling of a Roman fable featuring Adam Driver, the film only garnered $4 million in its opening weekend in the U.S., according to Variety.

This figure pales in comparison to some of the year's major releases. For instance, "Deadpool & Wolverine" amassed $211 million domestically, while "Inside Out 2" brought in $155 million. Even less favorably reviewed films like "The Crow" remake and "Borderlands" outperformed "Megalopolis," earning $4.6 million and $8.8 million, respectively.

The situation is particularly dire when contrasted with the film’s $120 million budget. Although "Megalopolis" has a few more weeks in theaters, industry analysts predict that it will gross tens of millions of dollars less than its production costs.

David A. Gross, an analyst at Franchise Entertainment Research, noted that while some films with a unique, personal vision can defy odds and achieve financial success, "Megalopolis" appears to be an exception. "This one is not working. The result is going to be a big tax write-off," Gross told Variety.

In its opening weekend, "Megalopolis" placed sixth in box office rankings. It trailed behind "The Wild Robot," which led with $35 million, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" with $16 million, "Transformers One" with $9.3 million, the Telugu-language action film "Devara: Part 1" with $6.7 million, and "Speak No Evil" with $4.3 million.

Adding to its woes, the film encountered a controversy last month when its trailer was pulled offline after it was discovered that some review quotes were fabricated. Despite premiering at the Cannes Film Festival to mixed reviews, it had its advocates. Siddhant Adlakha gave it a 9/10, describing it as "a profoundly personal vision, whose wordy metaphors eventually give way to jaw-dropping transformations."