How will theaters handle the live Megalopolis scene with Adam Driver?

“Megalopolis” will finally hit theaters. Cinephiles have been buzzing about Francis Ford Coppola’s latest saga for months – despite all the drama surrounding it – and now they’ll finally get to see the polarizing and wacky film.

To its credit, Lionsgate is trying to preserve the theatrical experience that Cannes audiences experienced during the premiere. This includes one of the most talked about scenes in the movie: the live action scene in “Megalopolis” with Adam Driver.

In the film, Cesar Catalina (The Driver) answers questions from reporters during a press conference, and his face is seen in close-up. The reporter’s question to him came from off-screen, but when audiences in Cannes and beyond saw it, a live person standing in front of the audience was the one asking Catalina questions.

It’s a sweet, fourth-wall-breaking moment and a fan favorite, especially when at the Cannes premiere at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, none other than Jason Schwartzman stood up in front of the audience with a microphone.

This was reflected in Monday’s screenings at the IMAX Experience, during which the studio recruited several special guests who would approach the screen and ask Driver’s character a question written in the script. The 60 different locations where the film was shown featured live elements. First, during a screening in Los Angeles, entertainment journalist Scott Mantz was asked to come to the front of the audience with a microphone.

Some fans have shared videos and photos from individual theaters, and in some cases, a guest is given a microphone or is on a raised platform. In the case of Monday’s screening at AMC Veterans 24 in Tampa, which IndieWire attended, the selected audience member was not the center of attention, but a microphone stand was set up before the film began. However, the lighting made it difficult to decipher, as you can see in the photo below.

When the film opens this weekend, IndieWire can confirm that, similar to IMAX screenings, select theaters will hire a different set of performers to attend the screening, come to the front and take part in a live scene with Driver’s character.

When purchasing tickets, these “Megalopolis” screenings will be labeled “The Ultimate Experience,” and each will feature what Lionsgate calls a “live attendee” within the film. While most of them will also be shown on IMAX or PLF screens, there are a few attractions available on standard screens.

This is quite a difficult logistical challenge, so unfortunately, you will be able to see Live Participant far from all the locations and shows. This weekend, the film will be shown on 1,700 screens and 200 IMAX locations. At the time of writing, 34 different showtimes every Friday and Saturday will provide the Ultimate Experience, and they cover 23 different markets across North America, although more may be added later. Those without it will have a more traditional soundtrack voice with subtitles instead of a live person’s voice.

There have been rumors that theater staff might be asked to get involved, or that a random audience could be invited to participate, but such options don’t seem entirely feasible. TBD is what will happen and how you will be asked to participate when “Megalopolis” finally hits home video or streaming.

On Monday, Coppola took part in a question-and-answer session broadcast live to viewers before the film, during which the author spoke with Robert De Niro and Spike Lee. Coppola made a sharp reference to Donald Trump and the upcoming November presidential election, saying he fears that in a few months America will have an “emperor” leading the country.

“Megalopolis” is projected to bring in a fairly modest $5 million at the domestic box office on its opening weekend, but reports indicate that the financial burden rests with Coppola himself, not Lionsgate. Coppola self-financed the film on a $120 million budget and now took on the marketing and distribution costs to bring the film to the big screen. We guess inviting live performers to participate in this implementation wasn’t cheap either.

However, Coppola himself wrote the 2017 textbook “Live Cinema and its Techniques” in which he stated that digital technology would enable progress and innovation in real-time films in the same way that talkies revolutionized the form. Now viewers have a chance to find out if he is right.

Below is a complete list of theater locations and showtimes offering the “Ultimate Experience” for “Megalopolis” when it premieres on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28. More information may be added later.

DMA	Encirclement	The name of the theater	City, St	Showtime (Friday)	Showtime (Saturday)	Format
Atlanta	ROYAL	Regal Atlantic 18 IMAX RPX ScreenX 4DX Station	Atlanta, Georgia	19:10	19:10	IMAX
Boston	AMC	AMC assembly row 12	Somerville, MA	18:45	18:45	IMAX
Chicago	ROYAL	Regal City North 14 IMAX 4DX	Chicago, Illinois	19:10	19:10	IMAX
Dallas-Ft. Value	AMC	AMC NorthPark 15 DOLBY and IMAX	Dallas, Texas	19:15	19:15	IMAX
Denver	AMC	AMC Westminster Promenade 24	Westminster, Colorado	19:15	19:15	IMAX
Denver	ROYAL	Regal Colorado 9 IMAX Center	Denver, Colorado	19:10	19:10	IMAX
Des Moines	IND-USA	FilmScene 5	Iowa City, IA	18:30	19:00	Standard
Kansas City	AMC	AMC City Center 20	Leawood, KS	19:15	19:15	IMAX
Knoxville	ROYAL	Regal Pinnacle Stadium 18 IMAX RPX ScreenX 4DX	Knoxville, Tennessee	19:10	19:10	IMAX
Las Vegas	AMC	City Square AMC 18 and IMAX	Las Vegas, Nevada	19:00	19:00	IMAX
Los Angeles	IND-USA	TCL Chinese 6 cinemas and IMAX	Hollywood, California	18:40	18:40	IMAX
Los Angeles	AMC	AMC Century City 15 IMAX DOLBY and PRIME	Los Angeles, California	18:45	18:45	IMAX
Los Angeles	LANDMARK	A characteristic sunset 5	Los Angeles, California	19:00	19:00	Standard
Los Angeles	ROYAL	Regal Irvine Spectrum 21 IMAX RPX ScreenX 4DX 15	Irvine, California	18:30	18:30	IMAX
Nashville	IND-USA	Belcourt Theater 3	Nashville, Tennessee	18:40	18:40	Standard
New York	AMC	AMC Lincoln Square 13 IMAX and Dolby	New York, New York	19:15	19:15	IMAX
New York	ROYAL	Regal Union Square 17 RPX ScreenX 4DX	New York, New York	20:40	20:40	RPX
New York	City Cinemas	Rural Cinemas Wschód 7	New York, New York	19:35	19:35	Standard
New York	AMC	AMC’s Garden State 16	Paramus, New Jersey	19:00	19:00	IMAX
Orlando/Daytona	AMC	AMC Altamonte 18 Shopping Center	Altamonte Springs, Florida	19:00	19:00	IMAX
Philadelphia	AMC	AMC Wiśniowe Wzgórze 24	Cherry Hill, New Jersey	17:30	17:30	IMAX
Phoenix	AMC	Desert Ridge AMC 18	Phoenix, Arizona	18:30	18:30	IMAX
Phoenix	HARKINS	Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square 14	Scottsdale, Arizona	19:00	19:00	Standard
Portland	ROYAL	Regal Lloyd Center 10 IMAX Cinema	Portland, OR	18:00	18:00	IMAX
San Diego	AMC	AMC Mission Valley 20	San Diego, California	18:45	18:45	IMAX
San Francisco-Oak-San Jose	ESP	Elmwood’s Rialto 3	Berkeley, California	19:30	19:30	Standard
San Francisco-Oak-San Jose	AMC	AMC Loews Metreon 16 IMAX and DOLBY	San Francisco, California	18:00	18:00	IMAX
San Francisco-Oak-San Jose	ESP	Cinema Sevastopol 9	Sevastopol, California	19:10	19:10	Standard
Seattle	AMC	AMC Loews Alderwood 16 Shopping Center	Lynnwood, Washington	18:30	18:30	IMAX
Seattle	ROYAL	Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14 IMAX ScreenX	Seattle, Washington	18:30	18:30	IMAX
Tampa/St. Pete	AMC	AMC 24 Veterans	Tampa, Florida	18:30	18:30	IMAX
Washington	AMC	Corner of AMC Tysonsa 16	McLean, Virginia	19:05	18:45	IMAX
Quality control in Montreal	Cineplex Entertainment	Scotiabank Theater in Montreal	Quality control in Montreal	19:00	19:00	IMAX
Toronto ON	Cineplex Entertainment	Scotiabank Theater in Toronto	Toronto ON	18:50	19:00	IMAX