There is an endless tapestry of movies that people associate with holidays: because they’re themed around the holiday, because they’re set during the same time of year, or simply because they fit the vibe. And now, a new movie is aiming to join that list… and honestly, I love it.
Last week, it was announced that Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis will be headed back to theaters… but with a major caveat. It will be playing exclusively at Alamo Drafthouse locations, and will only be in theaters for a single day: New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026. As Coppola put it in the Instagram post announcing the news, “It’s my hope that every New Year’s Day Megalopolis will become a fulcrum of discussion about the betterment of society and humanity.”
In case you need remembering, Megalopolis is an ensemble piece set in an alternate-history version of New York City known as “New Rome.” At the center of it is architect Cesar Catalina (Adam Driver), whose ambitious and optimistic visions for the future come into conflict with Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito).
The project was notorious in the movie world long before it was released in the fall of 2024, after decades of it being Coppola’s personal passion project. After coming up with the idea in 1977, Coppola initially sought to make the movie in both the late 1980s and the early 2000s, only to put the latter effort on pause due to the recency of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Decades later, Coppola reconvened with a new ensemble cast (which also includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, and Laurence Fishburne), and $120 million in personal funding, in part from having sold one of his wineries.
Let’s go back to the club!
The announcement of this Megalopolis re-release baffled people, regardless of whether they were fans, detractors, or ignorers of the film itself. Part of that is due to the countless headlines that have swirled around the film during its time in development hell, during its production, and ultimately during its small theatrical run in 2024, which only grossed just over $14 million.
Coppola has been very open about the fact that Megalopolis deserves to be seen in a theatrical setting. Certain “Ultimate IMAX Edition” screenings of that initial run leaned into that sentiment by breaking the fourth wall, enlisting a member of the audience to read lines of dialogue to Driver’s Cesar during a press conference scene. Over a year later, the movie still has no physical release or streaming home. Prior to this announcement, the only places you could be guaranteed to watch it were at Coppola’s cross-country stage tour, An Evening with Francis Ford Coppola and Megalopolis, or (I kid you not) on certain American Airlines flights.
I am among the people who went out of my way to see the “Ultimate IMAX Edition” of Megalopolis last year… and it still remains one of the best moviegoing decisions I have made in recent memory. After seeing countless tweets earlier in the film’s opening weekend complaining of nearly-empty theaters or numerous walkouts, it felt like a miracle to see the film in a largely-full theater. It was a joy to be surrounded by a captive audience during the movie’s highs and lows: laughing at Coppola’s self-insert Easter egg or Jon Voight’s now-infamous line of dialogue, being baffled by the energy of the sex scenes or Grace VanderWaal’s musical numbers, and being charmed by the incredibly personal and well-intentioned sentiment that Coppola injects into every single aspect of the movie.
I have held onto that night fondly ever since, and a part of me has wished that more people could experience the film in that thoroughly bonkers, but endearing way. While it doesn’t seem like this Alamo Drafthouse re-release will include the live element, the idea of seeing it in a very select array of theaters with an audience that also genuinely cares is definitely appealing. And I do really like Coppola’s idea of it becoming a New Year’s Day movie. Like the holiday, Megalopolis is ambitious and maximalist and unhinged… but it also has the intention of making our world (and ourselves) a little bit better. I might go buy my ticket right now.
(featured image: Lionsgate)
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