TIMELY

Hollywood Legend Auctions Watches After ‘Megalopolis’ Flop

Francis Ford Coppola spent over $100 million making the sci-fi epic.

Legendary Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola is auctioning off seven luxury watches following the colossal commercial failure that was Megalopolis.

Coppola, 86, spent over $100 million making the epic sci-fi film, which was released in 2024 to mixed reviews and scraped just over $14 million at the box office.

He’s now selling some of the timepieces from his expansive personal collection through Phillips, an auction site specializing in watches, art, and jewelry.

One of the highlights is a glitzy watch designed by Coppola himself in collaboration with Swiss watchmaker F.P. Journe in 2014. A few pieces of the same design were released in 2021 for interested buyers, retailing at around $1, according to The New York Times. The watch features a gloved hand at its center, with the fingers moving to indicate time.

Coppola is also selling two Patek Philippes, another F.P. Journe, a Blancpain Minute Repeater, an IWC Chronograph, and a Breguet Classique. Each watch is estimated to cost from $3,000 to $240,000.

The director has been candid about his finances, telling The Times that he’s broke since Megalopolis flopped. “I need to get some money to keep the ship afloat,” he said.

In March, he told record producer Rick Rubin he “doesn’t have any money” after investing whatever he borrowed to make Megalopolis. He financed much of the film himself, too, per People. The Francis Ford Coppola wine portfolio and two facilities in Sonoma County—Francis Ford Coppola Winery and Virginia Dare Winery in Geyserville, including the Archimedes Vineyard

Megalopolis featured a star-studded cast, including Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, Giancarlo Esposito, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Coppola began conceptualizing the film in 1983, with production starting and halting several times over the decades.

The making and downfall of Megalapolis was charted in Megadoc, a 2025 documentary directed by Mike Figgis. The doc brought viewers behind the scenes of Coppola’s vision and process.

“Who cares if you die broke,” Coppola asks at the beginning of the film, “if you made something that you think is beautiful?”

The sale with Phillips takes place on Dec. 6. The Daily Beast has reached out to Coppola’s representatives for comment.

Meera NavlakhaEntertainment Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.