Thanks to a hugely successful streaming debut on Amazon Prime Video, a sequel to the Latino market-targeted supernatural giant shark movie “The Black Demon” is looking likely to get a sequel.
The film sees a mostly Latino family stuck on an oil rig trying to survive the onslaught of a giant megalodon shark – one who may be the herald of the Aztec god Tlaloc. Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrejola, Venus Ariel and Julia Cesar Cedillo star.
Made for under $10 million with only a small marketing spend, the film was released theatrically by indie outlet The Avenue on April 28th to scathing reviews of just 12% (3.6/10) from 26 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Subsequent reviews have been added, pushing the number up to a slightly better 31%. The film made just under $3 million theatrically, and the film was quickly released to digital on May 30th and disc on July 11th.
However, it was the SVOD premiere on Amazon Prime last Tuesday where it suddenly turned heads. With little to no promotional help from Amazon itself, the movie pushed more high-profile works like gay rom-com sensation “Red, White & Royal Blue” and the much-touted second season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” off Amazon’s U.S. viewing top spots.
It then stood atop the streaming service’s top ten for a solid week. Actual viewing numbers of how many have watched it aren’t clear, but producer Javier Chapa tells THR that while the writers and actors strikes may be halting any dealmaking for now, there is already talk of a sequel.
Producer Jon Silk adds: “It’s special to see this movie get people’s attention like this.” Those who want to see “The Black Demon” can do so right now on Prime Video.
