Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola has to SELL his watch collection after he sunk $120M of his own money into film Megalopolis

The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola is selling off his beloved watches after sinking more than $100 million into movie disaster, Megalopolis.

The 86-year-old director – who reportedly invested $120 million in the 2024 blockbuster, which grossed just $14.3 million worldwide – has put seven timepieces from his personal collection up for sale.

They are being sold through auction house Phillips.

One of the watches is a $1 million one-of-a-kind piece the filmmaker designed himself alongside renowned watchmaker François-Paul Journe.

The F.P. Journe FFC Prototype features a black titanium human-like hand, of which the fingers and thumb extend or retract to indicate different hours.

Francois-Paul said in a statement: ‘Speaking with Francis in 2012 and hearing his idea on the use of a human hand to indicate time inspired me to create a watch I never could have imagined myself.

‘The challenge was formidable – exactly the type of watchmaking project I adore,’ he added.

‘After years of collaborating directly with Francis in the development process, it was a great pleasure to deliver this FFC prototype to him in 2021.

‘I’m proud to fully support the sale of this watch through Phillips to fund the creation of his artistic masterpieces in filmmaking.’

The watchmaker reportedly made a small number of bespoke timepieces based on the design, selling to private clients for around $1 million each.

His watches will be presented for sale in New York City on December 6 and 7.

Coppola, worth an estimated $400million, spent many years trying to make Megalopolis and financed the movie himself, rather than go through the studio system, but previously insisted he does not consider it to be any more of a ‘passion project’ than his other films.

He said: ‘I think all my films are passion projects. Even when you’re doing a film for money, when you get down into the work, you’re passionate about it because cinema is something you can’t do without loving.

‘I’ve seen great directors like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg do something on their cut and then dance around like kids with enthusiasm. 

‘This idea of ‘passion project’ is another one of these coined phrases. All making movies is passionate. It cannot not be. It’s too exciting.’

During the movie’s 2024 Cannes Film Festival premiere, the director insisted he had ‘never cared about money’ and his three children ‘don’t need a fortune’ from him.

The film starred Adam Driver and the synopsis reads: ‘A conflict between Cesar, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare.’

It also featured the talents of an ensemble cast that includes the likes of Shia LeBouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza and Laurence Fishburne. 

The movie was released on September 27, 2024 through Lionsgate Films but swiftly bombed at the box office.

The epic was mired in production issues from the onset and saw Coppola denying allegations of unprofessional behavior on set.

In addition to directing the feature, Coppola wrote its script and served as one of the project’s producers. 

The film was slammed as ‘bloated’, ‘boring’ and dubbed a ‘head-wrecking abomination’ by critics. 

Coppola also earned the 2025 Worst Director Razzie for the film.

The five time Oscar winner accepted the dubious honor, which celebrates the worst in cinematic releases.

Coppola wrote on Instagram: ‘I am thrilled to accept the Razzie award in so many important categories for @megalopolisfilm, and for the distinctive honor of being nominated as the worst director, worst screenplay, and worst picture at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary moviemaking!

‘In this wreck of a world today, where ART is given scores as if it were professional wrestling, I chose to NOT follow the gutless rules laid down by an industry so terrified of risk that despite the enormous pool of young talent at its disposal, may not create pictures that will be relevant and alive 50 years from now.

‘What an honor to stand alongside a great and courageous filmmaker like Jacques Tati who impoverished himself completely to make one of cinema’s most beloved failures, PLAYTIME!

My sincere thanks to all my brilliant colleagues who joined me to make our work of art, MEGALOPOLIS, and let us remind ourselves us that box-office is only about money, and like war, stupidity and politics has no true place in our future.’

In August, the legendary American director shared a health update after being hospitalized in Italy.

The filmmaker was admitted to Policlinico Tor Vergata, a public hospital in Rome, following a screening of Megalopolis in Calabria.

Coppola later took to Instagram to reassure fans, explaining that the hospital visit was for a scheduled procedure with Dr. Andrea Natale, a renowned heart specialist who has treated him for over three decades.

He posted a smiling photo of himself looking relaxed, along with a message that read: ‘I am well.’

‘Da Dada (what my kids call me) is fine, taking an opportunity while in Rome to do the update of my 30-year-old AFib procedure with its inventor, a great Italian doctor – Dr. Andrea Natale! I am well!,’ he wrote.

Though not officially confirmed, reports pointed to a possible heart procedure tied to a mild cardiac arrhythmia — a detail that lines up with Coppola’s mention of updating his long-standing AFib treatment.