Nicolas Cage’S $10.5M Malibu Home Nearly Swallowed By Massive Sinkhole — Seaside Drive Collapses

Massive Sinkhole Devours Driveway at Sea Level Drive

A massive 30-by-30-foot sinkhole gave way beneath the private driveway of Nicolas Cage’s $10.5 million Malibu mansion after severe coastal erosion and heavy weather battered the coast. The collapse happened along Sea Level Drive in the swanky seaside enclave, where pounding waves from Hurricane Marie and recent SoCal downpours combined to wash out the ground under the pavement.

The storm sent massive 10-to-15-foot waves into the Pacific, and the relentless surf and high tides reportedly undermined the driveway’s foundation. The collapse was sudden — the remaining soil had been oversaturated by recent downpours, and then the ground gave way.

“We’re treating this as a natural erosion event — the priority right now is safety for residents and securing the damaged area,” a city representative said, noting crews were on scene to assess the risk.

City Response — Red-Tags, Evacuations and Safety Checks

Cause of the collapse

Geologists and city emergency officials have attributed the disaster entirely to natural causes, pointing to coastal erosion, intense rain and the surf whipped up by Hurricane Marie as the triggers. Nobody was in the home when the catastrophe struck — the property was unoccupied at the time, and no injuries were reported.

Cage purchased the property in 2024, and it remained vacant during the incident. Recent Southern California downpours further saturated the soil, setting the stage for the sudden 30-by-30-foot failure.

Evacuations and red-tagged homes

Some nearby residents were ordered to evacuate as city teams and utility crews assessed safety risks. The City of Malibu later announced it had red-tagged five homes, prohibiting entry until officials could determine the full extent of nearby hazards.

Local teams — including the City’s Building Safety Division and Southern California Gas Company — planned ongoing inspections and promised to update the public as assessments continued. In true Malibu fashion, neighbors watched anxiously as crews worked to stabilize the area.

Cage’s Past Troubles — A Haunted Mansion and Financial Fallout

This incident revived memories of the movie star’s earlier, eccentric property saga — his 2007 purchase of the infamous LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans. Cage bought the storied house for $3.4 million, reportedly hoping to harness its spooky energy to write the ‘great American horror novel’ — but he allegedly never spent a night there.

Superstitious fans point to that episode as the start of a string of misfortunes. By 2009 Cage suffered a catastrophic financial collapse that culminated in a $14 million IRS tax lien; the LaLaurie property was seized and foreclosed in the fallout.

Supporters of the ‘haunted house curse’ theory say it triggered a multi-year downturn in his career, pushing him into lower-budget films as he worked to pay off debts. His financial managers pushed back on the supernatural explanation, instead blaming extravagant real estate purchases — which included multiple castles, a private island and even a $276,000 dinosaur skull — for his money troubles.

For now, Malibu authorities continue their assessments and Nicolas Cage’s Malibu property remains a dramatic reminder of California’s coastal volatility — and of how quickly a SoCal storm can upend even high-profile homes perched above the Pacific.