F
rancis Ford Coppola’s finances have taken a hit after the $120 million flop of *Megalopolis*. In October, the director told the New York Times that he was liquidating a collection of rare watches to keep his “ship afloat.” One timepiece fetched almost $11 million—nearly four times the film’s U.S. box‑office take. The auction followed the 2021 sale of his namesake winery for roughly $650 million, a move that financed the movie’s nine‑figure budget.
Coppola’s pattern of tying personal wealth to his art is unusual. Over decades he has leveraged real‑estate assets—from San Francisco landmarks to Napa vineyards and distant hotels—to bankroll his projects, even as cash reserves have dipped. He famously mortgaged his Napa home and car to fund *Apocalypse Now* (1979), a gamble that paid off both critically and commercially. The same strategy backfired during *One from the Heart* (1981), plunging him into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
When asked about his holdings, an executive who works closely with Coppola declined to disclose details, echoing the film‑industry mantra of “keep your mouth shut and your eyes open.” Yet the public record reveals a sprawling portfolio.
**Bay Area assets**
Coppola’s first major San Francisco purchase was the Sentinel Building at 141 Columbus Ave, a flatiron structure he bought for $500,000 after *The Godfather* (1973) success. He turned it into the headquarters of American Zoetrope and opened Café Zoetrope on the ground floor in 1999. In 1984, the building nearly fell to a trustee’s sale; Coppola paid off a $1.7 million loan just before the auction. He now plans to convert several upper floors into a boutique hotel. A recent loan, backed by the historic 11,000‑sq‑ft copper‑domed tower, is expected to fund a 12‑room hotel across three floors, slated for completion next year. The tower’s assessed value is under $2.5 million, a modest figure for a landmark property.
Coppola also owns a multifamily building at 811 Filbert, acquired with his wife Eleanor in 1991 for $675,000. The 1909 structure contains three apartments totaling 3,660 sq ft. Eleanor’s name appears on many deeds, underscoring her active role in the family’s real‑estate dealings. Their son Roman bought a modest 1,250‑sq‑ft home near Washington Square Park in 2012, and in 2023 received approval for a major renovation of the August Alley property.
The director’s primary residence remains on the Inglebrook winery property. He purchased the historic home and part of the vineyard in 1975, acquiring the remaining acreage two decades later after *Bram Stoker’s Dracula* (1992). Today he owns at least two large Napa parcels totaling 171 acres in Rutherford, a smaller estate in St. Helena (six acres, 3‑bedroom, 2.5‑bath home with pool and wine cellar), and a 42‑acre winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, rebranded as Domaine Lumineaux.
**Family real‑estate**
The Coppolas have a history of buying neighboring homes. In 2015 they purchased a Beverly Hills house for $1.3 million across from a midcentury property they had owned since the 1980s. Sofia and Roman bought homes across the street from each other near the Hollywood Bowl in the 1990s; Sofia sold hers in 2005. In 2014, Coppola and Eleanor bought a Hollywood Hills home with their first grandchild, director Gia Coppola, for $1.475 million. The four‑bedroom, 3.5‑bath house still features original tile, vintage lighting, and hand‑forged iron railings. Gia’s mother, Jacqui Getty, bought a Spanish‑style home from the Coppolas in 2013 for $1 million; Getty sold it for $2.5 million this year.
During a downturn in 1992, Coppola lost an 8.6‑acre Hollywood studio lot to foreclosure, but the same year he released *Dracula*, one of his most successful films. A renewed buying spree followed, with a particular focus on bespoke hotels.
**International holdings**
Coppola’s portfolio extends beyond California. He owns a New York City loft, a West Village coop (1,300 sq ft, two bedrooms, purchased for $2.5 million in 2015), and several high‑end hotels under the Coppola Hideaways umbrella. The Sentinel Building’s new hotel rooms will join this collection, earning praise in Conde Nast Traveler and Forbes for Balinese‑inspired woodwork and private butler service.
In Belize, Coppola owns two getaways: the abandoned Blancaneaux Lodge, converted into a 20‑room resort in 1993, and the Turtle Inn near Placencia, a 25‑room beachside hotel with thatched cottages. He also once leased a private island, which sold for $1.8 million; his tenancy ended before the sale closed.
Other international assets include a 10‑room lodge on a lake in Guatemala and a nine‑suite palazzo in a small Southern Italian town where his grandfather was born. The Italian property, Palazzo Margherita, received a Michelin Key this year. A less glamorous holding is a Days Inn in Peachtree City, Georgia, purchased for $4.35 million in 2022. The budget lodging was repurposed as a film production facility and crash pad during *Megalopolis*’s shoot. In 2023 it was relaunched as the All‑Movie Hotel, featuring a blue‑screen stage, editing suites, and a screening room—amenities that attract productions taking advantage of Georgia’s generous tax credits. Coppola described the hotel as a “useful distraction” from the stress of making *Megalopolis*.
**Legacy and outlook**
Coppola’s real‑estate empire has ebbed and flowed alongside his film career. He has repeatedly mortgaged properties to fund ambitious projects, accepting the risk that “the only risk is to waste your life, so that when you die, you say, ‘Oh, I wish I had done this.’ I did everything I wanted to do, and I continue to.” The recent auction of watches and the sale of his winery underscore the financial volatility that accompanies his creative ventures. Yet his portfolio—spanning iconic San Francisco landmarks, Napa vineyards, Hollywood Hills homes, and international hotels—remains a testament to his willingness to blend art, business, and real‑estate in pursuit of cinematic vision.
