"There's a writer named George R.R. Martin, who has a wonderful book 'A Song of Ice and Fire.' He worked in Hollywood, and I want to get the rights to his work by any means."
"And one more important thing: who among you likes watching bad movies?"
The four friends looked at each other, not understanding what he meant.
"I mean movies with simple special effects, low budgets, senseless plots, and low ratings that aren't even shown in theaters."
Warren, chewing a piece of meat, mumbled indistinctly, "You mean movies on DVD? There are a lot of those, they just have to have an attractive cover. My dad bought a lot of those, and I've seen quite a few myself."
Eric's eyes lit up: "Right, these movies usually go to TV or sell on DVD. Warren, would you like to run a company making such movies?"
"What?"
Warren almost choked.
Judy patted his back to prevent him from choking.
"I understand what a company is, but what does a bad movie production company mean?"
"It's a company specializing in producing cheap films. Of course, by 'bad' movies I don't mean negative, but low-budget, high-revenue films, like many B-movies. Understand?"
Warren frowned: "You mean something like 'The Blair Witch Project'?"
"Almost, but the marketing campaign for 'The Blair Witch Project' was too expensive. We won't use that model. We need films with simple plots, cheap, and low quality."
Warren was a bit unsure: "I've seen such movies, but can they be profitable? And is this even right?"
The other three were also skeptical: "Eric, producing such films can ruin your reputation."
"Yes, big companies won't do that, which is why I asked you to register a new company recently."
"You mean A.K. Films?"
"Yes. After we acquire MGM, I'll bring in professionals for A.K. Films. This company will be our tool for making low-grade films."
The four friends immediately understood everything. Eric had asked them to register the company and kept this idea a secret until the right moment.
Of course, Eric had a solid reason for such a scheme. In Hollywood, there is already a company specializing in producing kitschy films—The Asylum. They create films like "Atlantic Rim", "American Warships", "Clash of the Empires ", "Alien vs. Hunter" and others, with titles that clearly parody popular blockbusters.
The budget for their films usually does not exceed $1 million. Yes, you heard it right, only $1 million. The special effects, costumes, and sets look like they belong in a street market stall.
However, it's surprising that each film from The Asylum turns a profit. Moreover, they released the famous "Sharknado" series, which achieved cult status in the world of low-grade films.
Over time, The Asylum even developed a dedicated fan base. People watch their films with the mentality: "We know you made a crappy movie, but we just want to see if you can outdo yourself this time, and we will also buy the complete set of original discs for our collection."
This phenomenon is similar to the success of the Chinese film "Fuchun Mountain Residence» where many viewers went to theaters precisely because of the bad reviews, to see this "disgrace."
As for legal issues due to parodying famous films, The Asylum rarely faces lawsuits. Since 2005, they have released over 300 parodies of Hollywood blockbusters, and only twice have lawsuits been filed against them.
Major companies simply do not want to spend time and money on lengthy legal battles, especially if the chances of winning are slim. For example, Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit over the film "Age of the Hobbits» but The Asylum claimed that their "hobbits" were a fictional people from Indonesia, having nothing to do with J.R.R. Tolkien's characters.
Additionally, The Asylum's films do not release in theaters but are sold through television and DVDs, not directly competing with the original blockbusters. In some cases, their parodies even helped to popularize the original films.
Eric planned for A.K. Films to be similar to The Asylum but with some differences. They would produce low-grade films but also engage in producing low-budget B-movies. These would not necessarily be bad films, but their budgets would be minimal.
Another crucial reason: Eric urgently needed money. He still owed the bank $2 billion, plus the annual interest on the loan was an astronomical sum for an ordinary person.
Therefore, he had to make money at any cost. In filmmaking, the return on investment is slow, and after delisting MGM, he would not be able to earn from the stock. The only way out was to rely on himself.
Money! Money! Money!
This became his top priority.
He even started to show interest in the stock market. Although he did not know much about this area, some companies, in his opinion, were profitable for investment.
A.K. Films would be his tool for making money, and he would start with parodies of MGM films.
It's only 2002, and The Asylum has not yet taken this niche. Eric was going to beat them to it and occupy the niche first.