Film Ventures International
| Industry | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Defunct | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
|
Key people
|
Edward L. Montoro |
| Products | Motion pictures |
Film Ventures International (FVI) was an independent movie production and distribution company originally situated in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1970s. FVI garnered a notorious reputation within the industry for producing films which were highly derivative of many blockbusters of the era. The company mainly specialized in producing and distributing B-Movies and horror fare.
The entrepreneur who spearheaded the company was Edward L. Montoro. He wrote, directed and produced the company's first feature film Getting Into Heaven in 1968. The adult film was made for $13,000 and grossed almost 20 times its cost.
FVI was known for acquiring Italian genre films and distributing them within the United States. These films included the 1968 spaghetti western Boot Hill, a sequel to the famous Trinity films; and the 1974 horror thriller Beyond the Door starring Juliet Mills.
FVI acquired Beyond the Door for $100,000 and the film went on to earn $9 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful independent releases of that year. Detailing a woman possessed by a demon, Beyond the Door was labeled a rip-off of The Exorcist. Warner Bros. promptly filed a lawsuit, claiming copyright infringement. The lawsuit failed after it was determined Warner Bros. had no rights to key horror scenes depicted in The Exorcist.
FVI produced and distributed Grizzly in 1976, one of the first of the Jaws clones. Montoro financed the film for $750,000 and it was directed by William Girdler. Grizzly was a surprise hit, earning more than $39 million and becoming the most financially successful independent film of 1976. Montoro decided to keep the profits for himself, resulting in a lawsuit against FVI by Girdler and producer/screenwriters Harvey Flaxman and David Sheldon. FVI eventually returned the profits to the filmmakers. Montoro's FVI worked with Girdler on the animal horror thriller The Day of the Animals the following year, though the collaboration did not achieve the success of Grizzly.
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