Soon after its strong opening weekend, a ridiculous-sounding Cocaine Bear mockbuster titled Attack of the Meth Gator has been announced by the same studio responsible for the Sharknado franchise. Loosely inspired by a true story, Cocaine Bear follows the titular black bear who ingests a shipment of cocaine and goes on a drug-fueled rampage throughout Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. The Elizabeth Banks-directed comedy-horror made a killing in its opening weekend, garnering generally positive reviews and grossing a higher-than-expected $23 million.
Now, fresh off its opening weekend, a Cocaine Bear mockbuster has been announced in an effort to capitalize off its current popularity.
The Asylum, the low-budget production company responsible for the Sharknado franchise, announced that they will be releasing Attack of the Meth Gator this summer, accompanied by a poster for the film. Faced with a fury of questions about whether this ridiculous-sounding project is actually real, the studio clarified that it is.
Will Cocaine Bear Start A Trend?
Due to Cocaine Bear‘s success and the recently announced mockbuster, Attack of the Meth Gator, it appears a trend of movies about animals on drugs may be beginning. Prior to the film’s release, Banks had already shared her idea for a potential Cocaine Bear sequel called Cocaine Shark, which would also be based on a real news story about New Zealand police finding three tons of cocaine floating in the Pacific Ocean. In light of its recent success, there are actually many different possibilities to keep the spirit of Cocaine Bear alive.
Cocaine Bear‘s success also means that copycat movies and mockbusters might ensue. The Asylum is perhaps best known for the Sharknado franchise, though the studio specializes in mockbusters, which are low-budget movies created to capitalize on a major motion picture with a similar subject and title. A few of the studio’s most famous examples include 2009’s Transmorphers: Fall of Man, 2010’s Titanic II, and 2016’s Independents’ Day. The potential problem with Attack of the Meth Gator is that its parent project already touts a ridiculous premise, but unlike the mockbuster, Cocaine Bear is based on a true story, which provides much of its appeal that will naturally be missing with Meth Gator.
Source: The Asylum