Mockbuster

A mockbuster (sometimes also called a knockbuster or a drafting opportunity) is a film created with the intention of piggy-backing on the publicity of a major film with a similar title or theme. Mockbusters are often made with a low budget. These films are usually released direct-to-video at the same time as the mainstream film reaches theaters or video outlets.

It is possible to use these kinds of movies to intentionally deceive consumers into mistakenly purchasing the derivative title (e.g., someone thinks they are buying a copy of Transformers, but they are actually getting Transmorphers), but another possibility is to offer legitimate add-on buying opportunity in the marketplace (e.g., customer enjoyed Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost and wants more in the same subgenre, and buys or rents C. Thomas Howell's The Land That Time Forgot).

History

Mockbusters have a long history in Hollywood and elsewhere. For example, the 1959 Vanwick film The Monster of Piedras Blancas was a clear derivative of Creature from the Black Lagoon, complete with a creature suit by the same designer, Jack Kevan. Attack of the 50 Foot Woman spawned Village of the Giants; The Land That Time Forgot spun Legend of Dinosaurs & Monster Birds; Star Wars gave derivative birth to a jumble of imitations — Starcrash and Battle Beyond the Stars among others. The success of Steven Spielberg's 1982 family-film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial spawned the infamous 1988 film Mac and Me, which was critically panned for capitalizing on E.T.'s popularity and for its extensive use of product placement. The 1984 film Gremlins and its ensuing popularity inspired the creation of the notoriously bad 1988 ripoff Hobgoblins. The success of Raiders of the Lost Ark spawned a number of adventure films and TV series taking place in the 1930s and 1940s, including King Solomon's Mines, High Road to China, Tales of the Gold Monkey, and Bring 'Em Back Alive.

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Latest News for: mockbusters

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Exclusive Heretics Trailer Previews Latest Horror Mockbuster From The Asylum

Coming Soon 05 Dec 2024
ComingSoon can exclusively reveal the trailer for Heretics, the latest mockbuster from The Asylum. Heretics is a new horror mockbuster that is getting a day-and-date theatrical release on Friday, December 6, 2024.
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Exclusive Gladiators Trailer for The Asylum’s Latest Mockbuster

Coming Soon 14 Nov 2024
ComingSoon is excited to debut the Gladiators trailer for The Asylum’s latest mockbuster ... The Asylum has long made “mockbusters,” which are themed around and released near blockbuster movies.
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Exclusive Alien: Rubicon Trailer Shows The Asylum’s Latest Mockbuster

Coming Soon 14 Aug 2024
Rubicon, the upcoming action sci-fi mockbuster movie. It hails from The Asylum, the production company best known for hit mockbusters like the Sharknado movies, Z Nation, and Ape vs.
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The Twisters Trailer Previews The Asylum’s Latest Mockbuster Movie

Coming Soon 02 Jul 2024
The first trailer for The Twisters, a new mockbuster movie from The Asylum, has been released. Playing off the upcoming Twisters sequel, The Twisters is a new mockbuster from The Asylum, a production ...
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Atlas review – Jennifer Lopez learns to love AI in silly Netflix mockbuster

The Guardian 24 May 2024
Impossible, The Lost World and Top Gun ... But as with many of the streamer’s other mockbusters – its more naked attempts to compete with the biggest of boys – it’s all too synthetic and serious to possess anything close to self-awareness ....
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Custom Christmas Blu-Ray Slipcovers From The Mockbuster!

Rumble 17 May 2024
Link to the source for the video .
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Exclusive Road Wars: Max Fury Trailer Previews The Asylum’s New Mockbuster

Coming Soon 09 May 2024
Max Fury, a new mockbuster from The Asylum ... A Mad Max Saga — is a new mockbuster action movie from The Asylum ... Max Fury Trailer Previews The Asylum’s New Mockbuster appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
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Exclusive Ape x Mecha-Ape: New World Order Trailer Previews the Kaiju Mockbuster

Coming Soon 03 Apr 2024
Credit. The Asylum ... New World Order trailer from the latest mockbuster from The Asylum ... II, to save the Earth.” ... New World Order Trailer Previews the Kaiju Mockbuster appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
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10 Terribly Cheap Mockbusters That Ripped Off Famous Movies

What Culture 27 Mar 2024
Or is it? ... Well, friends, these movies are mockbusters ... 10. The Little Cars ... Now, you have to give a modicum of credit to some mockbusters for their hilarious movie title wordplay, but not this one ... It's possibly the worst mockbuster movie title there is.
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Millie Bobby Brown is anything but the damsel in distress in her new feminist fantasy mockbuster

Australian Broadcasting Corporation 16 Mar 2024
Here's what's new to streaming, heaps good and out now — from two very different period dramas and The Gentlemen adaptation, to Kate Winslet's latest foray into the small screen, and a searing documentary about life in Gaza ... .
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10 Weirdest Mockbusters of All Time, Ranked

Collider 04 Feb 2024
The word mockbuster is used primarily to describe movies that exist only to piggyback ...
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Exclusive The Exorcists Photos Preview The Asylum’s Latest Mockbuster

Coming Soon 30 Sep 2023
(Photo Credit. The Asylum) ... Check out the exclusive The Exorcists photos below. ... The post Exclusive The Exorcists Photos Preview The Asylum’s Latest Mockbuster appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. .
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Transmorphers: Mech Beasts Trailer Is The Asylum’s New Transformers Mockbuster

Coming Soon 23 Jun 2023
The Asylum is well-known for producing the Sharknado movies and more “mockbusters,” which resemble recent blockbusters in title and plot, but are low-budget and direct-to-video. Their new mockbuster is of Transformers.
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Attack of the Meth Gator Poster Previews The Asylum’s New Mockbuster

Coming Soon 02 Mar 2023
Following the success of Cocaine Bear at the box office, film distributor The Asylum is back again, this time with a mockbuster titled Attack of the Meth Gator ... and more recently, mockbusters of Thor.

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