There is no kind way to put it: Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” died on arrival over the weekend.

Mr. Coppola, 85, spent decades on the avant-garde fable, ultimately selling part of his wine business to raise the necessary funds — about $120 million in production costs and another $20 million or so in marketing and distribution expenses. But moviegoers rejected the film: Ticket sales from Thursday night through Sunday will total roughly $4 million in North America, according to analysts, slightly below worst-case scenario prerelease projections.

“Megalopolis” played in nearly 2,000 theaters in the United States and Canada. As of Saturday evening, it was on pace to place sixth in the weekend box office derby, behind even “Devara Part 1,” a poorly reviewed, three-hour, Telugu-language action drama that was available in around 1,000 theaters.

“Megalopolis” is about a brilliant architect (played by Adam Driver) who wants a society to lift itself out of the gutter. Ticket buyers gave the film a D-plus grade in CinemaScore exit polls. It is rare for a big-budget movie from a major director to get less than a B-minus.

Adam Fogelson, the top movie executive at Lionsgate, which distributed “Megalopolis,” described Mr. Coppola as “a cherished member of our creative family,” and said the company was “proud to partner” with him to give the film “the wide theatrical release it deserves.”

“Like all true art, it will be viewed and judged by movie audiences over time,” Mr. Fogelson added.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Coppola declined to comment.