Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has secured more theatrical deals for Hugo J. Cardozo's acclaimed Paraguayan horror film “Do Not Enter” (“No Entres”), which will premiere in theaters in diverse Before its Asian premiere at the Busan Film Festival.
Busch Media in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Playarte in Brazil, Nos Lusomundo in Portugal and Corazon Films in Mexico have signed theatrical deals for the horror film, in addition to previous deals signed with Program Store in France and Nashe Kino in Russia/CIS.
Sharks' Federico Pasqua, Marías Fontenella and CEO Guido Rode, who oversaw the deals, reveal that Japan, Korea, Spain and the US are in talks, while remake discussions are underway with the US and India. The film's success underscores the horror genre's broad global appeal.
The image shows two YouTube influencers, Luciano and Christian, who break into an abandoned mansion that is said to be haunted. Eager to excite their online followers with more shocking content, they ignore their fears. As they explore the mansion at night, increasingly strange and terrifying events unfold. In the final moments, a ghoul with glowing eyes reaches out to them, revealing that in their eagerness to attract more views and likes, they have now become the bait.
The film had its world premiere at Cannes, where it was the opening film of this year’s Fantastic Pavilion. The Argentine-Paraguayan co-production is produced by Judd and René Ruiz Diaz (The Goldseekers), with Cardozo and Sebastian Uscher, creator and producer of the Netflix hit “Under Paris,” serving as executive producers. The film is part of a three-film deal that Judd and Ruiz Diaz signed with Cardozo’s HJ Production company last year.
“We are very pleased with the international performance of ‘Don’t Enter’,” said Fontenla, VP of Sales at Film Sharks. “It is another example of how talent in Latin America continues to go from strength to strength. I had the opportunity to sell Cardozo’s previous film ‘Morgue’ and witnessed its success first-hand. That’s why we were so optimistic about this title from the ground up. Hugo is an extremely talented filmmaker who is on his way to becoming one of the key Latin American directors to watch.”
“Morgue,” a 2019 supernatural thriller about a security guard trapped in a hospital morgue, was known as “Paranormal Activity” in Spanish and beat all studio-produced horror films at the Paraguayan box office, including “It Chapter 2” and “Anabelle Comes Home.”
Morgue has been sold to the United States (Well Go USA) and Latin America (WarnerMedia's HBO Latin America), as well as Korea, Japan, France, Spain and Russia.
In recent news, Mexican company BH5 Studios has acquired the remake rights to the film from FilmSharks' The Remake Company. It is also in talks with producers from the US, Indonesia, Spain and France for remake rights.
“Morgue is a unique thriller that launched Hugo Cardozo into the global market,” said Pascua, CEO of Film Sharks. “We are thrilled that Rodrigo Trujillo and BH5 Studios have committed to remaking it, and we are confident that they will take Morgue to the next level.”
