PROJECT STATUS: January 10th, 2015 During the production of MONEY FIGHT there were three PHASES of production..
Phase One: This first vision of the film Starring Ernie Reyes Junior, Maria Conchita Alonso, with John Savage and George Takei was licensed and distributed in several foreign territories including: Germany, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Brazil.
Phase Two: We decided to rework the project to include more back story to the main characters and add other theatrical elements including; Ving Rhames, Matthias Hues, Aerial Photography, shooting at various gorgeous outdoor locations such as the boot camp in Valley of Fire and the Las Vegas Strip. We also added many elements with high production value, more heart, more romance, more sex appeal, better sound design, etc. We added several fights from known celebrity athletes and re-edited the entire feature to incorporate the full hour of additional footage. From this we created a very fast paced version of the film. The budget of this rework was $2,000,000. This film was showcased at AFM in 2012. This version of the film was licensed and distributed in several foreign territories including: Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, France, UK and a re-release in Germany. However, we did not find a suitable US theatrical distribution deal, so we decided to get back to work.
Phase Three: After receiving great feedback from the international distribution community and additional funding from the limited international release, we decided to invest in a more fluid and heart felt re-edit of the project. We consulted with Steve MIrkovic, the award winning editor of Passion of the Christ, Con-Air, 16-Blocks and almost all of John Carpenters films. With his leadership and insight we created MONEY FIGHT. We invested a full year in post-production and another $500,000 into this final vision of the film which included scenes and footage never seen in either of the previous versions of the film, a greatly enhanced sound track, a dynamic re-edit of all the fights, beautiful sound design and color work. One may consider this version of the film "the director's cut." We prefer to refer to it as the final realization of a worthwhile story
Our vision realized. This final cut entitled MONEY FIGHT has not been seen by the distribution community. It was test screened in San Jose on September 21st 2012, and received standing ovations and a one week box office gross of over $9000. Marketing: We have invested nearly $400,000 into grass roots marketing leading up to this point. The entire martial arts community in the US is aware of the project in one form or another and eager for its release. The marketing has included having over 2000 martial arts school owners being bussed from the Martial Arts Super show to a sneak peek screening. Booths and poster signings at UFC Expo's, ATA World and National Karate Tournaments, and most importantly, we have produced three televised live fights that are currently being showcased throughout many TV networks.
Current Objective: We are seeking out methods and relationships to release the film MONEY FIGHT theatrically in North America and then distribute the remaining rights worldwide.
