Francis Ford Coppola is bringing Megalopolis (2024; 46% critics and 34% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes) back to theaters on October 24, 2026, and he has a rather unusual request for audiences. Reading International will screen the film simultaneously at cinemas across the U.S., including New York and Hawaii, according to Deadline, as reported by The A.V. Club.
The limited screening event will be followed by a live-streamed Q&A with the director, moderated by his son Roman Coppola. Moviegoers have been invited to text through any questions before, during and after the film. Coppola will answer a selection of the best ones live. Audience members will also receive letters from Coppola containing his official director’s statement about the film, and the film will return periodically, including on New Year’s Day.
The film’s original 2024 release also had a live element, in which a person in the theater asked Adam Driver’s character a scripted question during a press conference scene.
Coppola’s Past Interactive Theater Experiments, From Twixt to Distant Vision
Coppola, who’s best known for The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now (1979), has been finding ways to make cinema feel more like a live event for years. Some of his previous experiments include:
Twixt (2011): Coppola demonstrated a live version of his horror film at Comic-Con, rearranging scenes on an iPad while composer Dan Deacon, who scored the film, joined him on the panel to preview a live music remix.
Distant Vision (2015): For this experimental project, Coppola directed a live performance, selecting camera shots in real time as actors performed on a soundstage at Oklahoma City Community College.
Megalopolis (planned): In 2021, Coppola planned a custom Alexa device that would listen to audience reactions and trigger different pre-recorded scenes. The idea died after Amazon’s 2022 layoffs hit the team building it, according to Film Stories.
Megalopolis (2024): Select screenings (34 showtimes on Sept. 27–28, 2024, per IndieWire) featured a live performer asking Adam Driver’s character a question during a press conference scene.
Megalopolis tour (2025): Coppola took the film on a six-city Live Nation tour that summer, pairing each screening with a live audience Q&A (details).
Why Moviegoers Are Pushing Back on Texting in Theaters
Film Directors Facebook page also shared the news on social media. For the most part, commenters were less than impressed:
James K.: “Great, everybody on their phones lighting up the theater, woo hoo.”
Don A.: “So he’s encouraging texting during movies now?”
Tim H.: “First question: IN GOD’S NAME, WHY?”
Since cellphone use is typically discouraged in theaters, the confusion is completely understandable.
RELATED: The Godfather Is Coming Back. Coppola Probably Won’t Be There
Will Texting During Megalopolis Actually Work?
Megalopolis is simply Coppola’s latest attempt at bringing more participation to the movie house. Whether audiences actually participate is another matter. But surely there are a few die-hard Coppola fans with burning questions up their sleeve?
Where to Watch: Megalopolis returns to selected US theaters on October 24, 2026, with a live-streamed Q&A. Megalopolis isn’t on a US subscription streaming service yet, but it’s available to rent on Plex for $3.99, per JustWatch.
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