“Everyone said no”: Despite Godfather 1 and 2 Success, Francis Ford Coppola Had to Borrow Money to Finish His $105 Million Blockbuster
- To make the movie Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola had to borrow money at high interest rates.
- Coppola’s experience reiterates the fact that making it big in Hollywood is arbitrary as the industry dictates its own rules.
- Away from the hesitant studios that are fearsome of putting their money into authentic projects, Coppola is dipping his hands into his own pockets to make movies that matter to him.
What makes Francis Ford Coppola one of the greatest directors ever is not his unique style of storytelling or his magnanimous attitude, but rather his ability to consistently take risks with his projects no matter what people say. He has to be one of the most relentlessly ambitious directors in Hollywood right now.
His latest venture Megalopolis is another step in that direction with massive risks both in terms of a futuristic story and the way the entire movie has been shot. Most likely, viewers will appreciate his craft and thought in the coming years since Coppola is certainly way ahead of his time.
Francis Ford Coppola borrowed money to finish Apocalypse Now
Despite the roaring success of Francis Ford Coppola’s other projects including the first two The Godfather movies, which are considered to be the greatest classics ever, the filmmaker had to scramble for funds subsequently. While many would expect production houses to be pouring in with offers for Coppola to direct their next flick, he reveals that the reality was far from it.
To make the movie Apocalypse Now, Coppola had to borrow money at high interest rates. Back in 1979, the success of The Godfather and its sequel did not convince the producers and the industry as a whole that Coppola was worth betting on. They all turned their backs on the visionary filmmaker whose Apocalypse Now went on to collect $105 million at the box office. Talk about karma! In an interview with the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Coppola shared,
Even with all that success when I went at the high point of my career to want to make Apocalypse Now, everyone said no in other words the reason I own Apocalypse Now is because nobody wanted it right. That was the first time I just borrowed money to finish the movie. Interest was at 20% in those days so if at the high point as you say in Hollywood at the time and they still said no, imagine what they said say when you’re 85 and you’re far from the hottest director around.
Coppola’s experience reiterates the fact that making it big in Hollywood is arbitrary as the industry dictates its own rules. The director had to go through some tough times to make enough money so that he could craft stories that he truly believed in. Nevertheless, Coppola managed to keep his passion burning and never wavered from the core spirit of his work.
Francis Ford Coppola started self-funding his projects
With his passionate drive to tell original stories, Coppola is ushering in a new age of cinema. Away from the hesitant studios that are fearsome of putting their money into authentic projects, Coppola is dipping his hands into his own pockets to make movies that matter to him. Megalopolis, the product of his latest ambition is self-funded. The budget of the movie is more or less $120 million which the director managed to stake on his own.
It seems like he did not want to wait for studios to realize the potential of his stories nor did he want to face the harsh rejections like he did with Apocalypse Now. Coppola is betting on himself when nobody else would and proving to the world that he is indeed one of the most visionary directors of modern times.
Apocalypse Now is streaming on Prime Video.
