Sinkhole forces Nicolas Cage to stay in hotels as Malibu home sustains damage

Actor Nicolas Cage said he is currently staying in hotels after a sinkhole damaged his ocean-front Malibu residence. The four-storey, $10.5 million home suffered severe erosion in September when a hole opened in the driveway and expanded toward the front entrance, swallowing a fence, ladders and portable toilets used by construction workers.

Speaking at a Los Angeles comic-con event on Oct. 31, Cage explained that the damage forced him to forgo normal Halloween plans, noting he would take his four-year-old daughter trick-or-treating in Santa Monica and watch a classic horror film after bedtime.

Cage, who purchased the property in 2024, has filed three permits with city officials to address the damage. He received an emergency building permit to place sandbags along the beach and the exterior of the house for wave protection, as well as permits for debris removal and shoring installation. The sinkhole, which grew from an initial 30-square-foot opening, also broke a water line and a gas line, leading the Southern California Gas Company to shut off gas service and prompting an evacuation order for nearby homes.

The City of Malibu issued an emergency declaration and a coastal flood advisory, warning that high tides and rain from Hurricane Marie could worsen conditions. A temporary shelter was set up by the American Red Cross at Malibu High School for displaced residents.