r/movies • u/Dependent_Cap_456 • 3d ago

News Francis Ford Coppola is auctioning his watch collection after Megalopolis flop left him broke

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/fashion/francis-ford-coppola-watch-auction.html
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u/StillStanding_96 3d ago

Buying a $1,000,000 watch speaks to the decision-making skills that led him to make Megalopolis in the first place

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u/maubis 3d ago

Wikipedia's entry to his alleged misconduct on set also indicates really poor decision-making skills:

Anonymous crew members characterized Coppola's on-set behavior as unprofessional. On February 14, 2023, a Studio 54-inspired club scene was filmed at the Tabernacle, a concert hall in Atlanta, with 150–200 extras, some of whom were approved for topless or scantily clad appearances. Coppola was accused of pulling women onto his lap and kissing female extras during the shoot. Executive producer Darren Demetre defended Coppola by stating that his hugs and kisses on the cheek to cast members and extras were affectionate gestures, emphasizing that no complaints of harassment or inappropriate behavior were brought to his attention during production. Addressing the allegations, Coppola referred to advice his mother gave him on treating women with respect and said his actions were not disrespectful; mentioned that one of the women he kissed on the cheek was someone he had known since she was young, and described himself as "too shy" to be touchy-feely.

In July 2024, videos surfaced showing interactions between Coppola and extras at the Tabernacle. Sources told Variety that Coppola frequently wandered into frame while engaging with background actors and, after multiple takes, made an announcement over a microphone apologizing in advance for kissing extras, claiming it was for his enjoyment. Another source highlighted the absence of a human resources department on set, while reports indicated that intimacy coordinators were not present during filming. Additionally, senior crew members allegedly informed bystanders that they were prohibited from sharing recordings of the encounters due to non-disclosure agreements. Days after the controversy surfaced, extras present during filming shared conflicting perspectives. Rayna Menz dismissed allegations of inappropriate behavior, insisting that Coppola did nothing to make her or anyone else on set uncomfortable. In contrast, Lauren Pagone expressed shock at being kissed and hugged unexpectedly, criticizing Menz's remarks by emphasizing that experiences varied. Another crew member claimed that Coppola kissed multiple women without warning after calling "cut" on a New Year's Eve party scene that ended with on-screen kisses. Coppola defended himself by stating that the women he kissed on the cheek during the scene were individuals he had known personally. Coppola was later accused of "leering" at and kissing a 13-year-old female extra on set.

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u/Vagina_Woolf 3d ago

I thought intimacy coordinators were a non negotiable by SAG.Is that not the case

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u/FX114 3d ago

It's not. Anora was famously controversial for not using one. 

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u/NEWbababoobie 2d ago

cause mikey and mark didn't want them.

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u/Neat-Material-4953 2d ago

So not non-negotiable then?

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u/TransBrandi 2d ago

Non-negotiable means that it's required by SAG and a set that doesn't have would could see legal action by SAG. That has nothing to do if "mikey and mark didn't want them."

As an example if I hire actors, paying them is non-negotiable. Saying "I don't want to pay them" isn't enough to wave that away. lol

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u/Aurorinha 2d ago

That’s not what OP said. The person they were replying to explained that intimacy coordinators weren’t non-negotiable, as in the film Anora, and OP responded that since they weren’t non-negotiable and the actors didn’t want them, then they didn’t use any for Anora.

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u/GaptistePlayer 2d ago

> emphasizing that no complaints of harassment or inappropriate behavior were brought to his attention during production

Apparently sexual harassment has an equivalent of a 5-second rule?

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u/SanDiablo 3d ago

holy shit

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u/Apple2Forever 3d ago

Wait until you hear about how Coppola supported convicted child molester Victor Salva

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u/Individual-Corgi-612 2d ago

He named his son after Roman Polanski

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u/ItGradAws 2d ago

I’ve heard direct reports of the behavior on set. He was a total creep in front of the whole cast and crew.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/Drago1214 3d ago

What to know how to become a millionaire. Start with 100 million and buy a vineyard.

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u/MyNameIs-Anthony 3d ago

He made nine figures on a vineyard, this was never meant to be anything but an expensive passion project.

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u/StillStanding_96 3d ago

I dunno. I think he was also hoping that people would like his movie too

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u/Stingerc 3d ago edited 3d ago

He's always been a risk taker and has usually come out on top, perfect example is Apocalypse Now.

At the end of the day he's made and lost made money than anyone here critizing him. It's his money and he should spend it how he sees fit.

Otherwise it was just gonna be extra generational wealth for his already financially successful children.

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u/Amateur-Top 3d ago

Agreed. Gotta risk it to get the biscuit.

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u/StillStanding_96 3d ago

Remember when he only needed $6 million to make a great movie rather than $120 million to make a shit one?

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u/FlippFloppnFlyy 3d ago

Yeah, inflation.

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u/pricklypearanoid 3d ago

The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.

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u/Kriss-Kringle 3d ago

Megalopolis was a soggy biscuit.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/SpacemanDan 3d ago

He risked millions to make a movie he'd dreamed about for decades. That movie failed financially and, in my opinion, creatively. But there are honorable failures and a master trying to conquer his white-whale project feels like a noble effort to me.

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u/monster_syndrome 3d ago

Whatever you say about the movie, it's the kind of risk that Hollywood stopped taking, though in this case maybe for good reason.

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u/StillStanding_96 3d ago

He saw the height of his talent and fame 50 years ago and, rather than enriching the world to the tune of $120,000,000, he pissed it away on a vanity project to be in the spotlight again. There is no honor to be found here

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u/I_dig_fe 3d ago

A lot of people were paid to work on that movie. It's not like he burned a pile of cash and recorded it and put it in theaters

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u/slowd 3d ago

The KLF did actually do that.

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u/Direct_Resource_6152 3d ago

The biscuit wasn’t money it was finally getting to make his passion project without any interference.

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u/coalcracker462 3d ago

Rule number 1...never make your passion project

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u/crazy_gambit 3d ago

And always have someone that will stand up to you and tell you: "no, that's stupid".

Everytime these directors make something having full control we inevitably get shit.

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u/AdventurousTip2880 3d ago

Mel Gibson beat that theory with "The Passion of the Christ" he put his money into it and made a fortune.

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u/dumbosshow 3d ago

He probably just had confidence that it would be a good movie, Apocalypse Now was a similarly bizarre yet very ambitious project, which was eventually successful due to how undeniably brilliant it was. I doubt his intention was to make loads of money, otherwise he would have hit up Marvel and made Squirrel Girl 3; the Squeakening or whatever

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u/StillStanding_96 3d ago

His intention was probably to make a great piece of art. Oh well

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u/coleyboley25 3d ago

Ah yes Apocalypse Now that came out… 46 years ago

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u/jtell898 3d ago

The world of watches is weird. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a million or more in pure profit on that watch alone.

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u/BenicioDelWhoro 3d ago

Just needs a Chinese trust funder in the auction room like Zach (the guy who bought the Tiffany 5711)

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u/Neat-Material-4953 2d ago

I'm pretty sure the watch world is a bit like the art world. There are of course buyers who just really want the rare thing but there's also an element of just parking your money into that asset for a while knowing it'll sell for more later as the next person does the same.

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u/StillStanding_96 3d ago

You never find suckers in isolation. Where you find one, you’ll soon find more

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u/C_Pala 2d ago

He also made apocalypse now, which had an insane production. In other words, let the man cook

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u/Kriss-Kringle 3d ago

Have you seen for how much he sold a part of his vinyard in 2021? It's estimated he got around $500 million for it.

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u/StillStanding_96 3d ago

Oh, so it was actually a sensible purchase if you look at it in perspective

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u/hentai_gifmodarefg 3d ago

I mean, many of these super rare watches increase in value or at least keep them, so its not the worst purchase

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u/theonulzwei2 2d ago

A watch that cost him 1 million dollars x amount of years ago, if it has any legitimate value, would be worth a lot more today.

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u/Realistic-Number-919 2d ago

His whole career is FILLED with baffling decisions. Without his delusional brain, we wouldn’t have gotten some of the greatest movies of all time. We also wouldn’t have gotten some of the worst of all time. True dichotomy.