Yeah I saw some of this too-- but in reading that Paramount Pictures article- I doubt theatrical is the goal here. I did some googling on films like this- and I think they are on to something BIG:
A radical example of straight-to-DVD production involves the Asylum, a company that specializes in “mockbusters”— films made for only hundreds of thousands of dollars and intended to capitalize on the success of their higher-profile counterparts. Mockbusters typically arrive on DVD several days before the theatrical premiere of the higher-budget film; examples include Snakes on a Train (timed with Snakes on a Plane); Transmorphers (Transformers); and Paranormal Entity (Paranormal Activity). It remains unclear whether these “fake” films merely appeal to viewers who are already fans of the bigger-budget original, or whether Asylum’s titles deceive viewers into renting the wrong film. In December 2008, 20th Century Fox issued a cease-and-desist letter to the company prior to their release of The Day the Earth Stopped, which shortly preceded Fox’s release of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Nevertheless, Asylum carried on undeterred, and continues to produce and release films via its original model. In 2009, Dana Harris and Erin Maxwell reported for Variety, “Asylum execs say their company sees annual revenues of about $5 million and that no title has failed to turn a profit.”
hmmmmmm...
As long as Mike The Pike isn't making this schlok and it let's the sub do the dirty work-- could be pretty nice- am I wrong?
