How to tell which Megalopolis screenings will feature a live person talking to the screen

Megalopolis raises a whole lot of questions for those of us who haven’t yet seen it. Things like: Will people really think this thing is a masterpiece in a decade? Why is Aubrey Plaza’s character named Wow Platinum and are we supposed to laugh at it? What is Shia LaBeouf doing there? All this, plus a big, general, why? 

There is one question we can answer, however: how can you ensure that your screening has a real-life person talking to Adam Driver through the screen instead of some voiceover? If you haven’t already seen it all over Twitter/X, there was a moment in the already wild film’s Cannes premiere where a live actor asked Driver’s character, Cesar Catalina, a pre-scripted question that the character then answered during a press conference scene. Lionsgate added to the hype this week by recruiting more flesh-and-blood people to participate in the film at IMAX screenings during its opening weekend. So how can you make sure you witness this innovative (?) and goofy new technology? And can you be the dude?

The answer is pretty simple, but you have to live in a relative Megalopolis of your own. All screenings with the live element will be labeled “The Ultimate Experience” on ticket vendor sites, and most are taking place on IMAX screens, with only a few exceptions. The options are unfortunately pretty limited. IndieWire reports that out of 1,700 screens and 200 IMAX locations, only 34 different showtimes on both Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 will feature the live participant. Others will have a voiceover from a “journalist” offscreen in its place. 

It’s unclear who will get the honor of asking the question at these screenings, but rumors are that theater employees or even audience members could be asked to step up. If that’s you, you unfortunately won’t get to ask Driver if he would ever do a Girls reboot or whatever other burning questions you may have. There is a pre-set query that works within the movie’s plot, but Coppola would probably love to hear that someone went rogue. Do with that what you will. 

The full list of this weekend’s “Ultimate Experience” screenings is available to view over at IndieWire.