Mockbuster

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A mockbuster is a film, often made with a low budget, created with the clear intention of trading on the fame of a major film with a similar title. Often these films are created to be released direct-to-video at the same time as the target film reaches theaters or is released for sale to the public. The term is also used to describe a film that is derivative of a successful film in the same genre, without the title connection.

[edit] Direct tie to film name

The 2006 mockbuster Snakes on a Train trades off on the fame of the theatrically released Snakes on a Plane.[1] The Asylum, a Hollywood, California based film studio, was the creator of Snakes on a Train, as well as of Transmorphers, a live-action takeoff on the more mainstream 2007 film version of Transformers, which came on the heels of the studio's 2006 release of The Da Vinci Treasure.[2]

The films tend to fit the classic B movie model, produced on a low budget and largely derivative of the target film and other similar films. The greatly reduced costs available using modern video and computer editing equipment, and the tie-in to the original film, has allowed the mockbuster to be a profitable business. Blockbuster Inc., one of the largest chains of DVD and video game rental stores, has bought into the concept, making a purchase of 100,000 copies of The Asylum's version of War of the Worlds in time with the theatrical opening week of the Steven Spielberg film starring Tom Cruise.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lumenick, Lou. "MOCKBUSTERS - B-LIST KNOCKOFFS OF SUMMER HITS ARE FOOL'S GOLD", The New York Post, July 26, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Potts, Rolf. "Phenomenon: The New B Movie", The New York Times Magazine, October 7, 2007. Accessed October 11, 2007.