Factoring in marketing costs and the theaters taking their cut of the profits, Megalopolis would need to make at least $300 million to break even. I think it’s safe to say that’s not happening.

While the basic point still stands that this is a financial disaster for somebody, I would be seriously surprised if the usual blockbuster math regarding marketing comes into play here. No way Lionsgate paid $100M marketing a vanity project with “commercial flop” buzz from the beginning. If anything, it seems more like they picked it up on the cheap when everyone else passed, as a gesture to a legend (if apparently a creepy one), and a low-risk bet.