It's been a while since investors have heard anything from Independent Film Development Corporation (OTCMKTS:IFLM), but like many of the horror films the company is now aiming to recreate in theme park form, the market can expect news and announcements from IFLM when it least expects it. And, though this morning's news from IndyFilmCorp wasn't exactly earth-shattering, it does push the organization one step closer to taking on - and even beating - the likes of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. (NYSE:SIX) at their own game... theme parks.
In simplest terms, Independent Film Development Corporation is in the planning stages of the word's freshest-concept, relevant amusement park. No, "relevant" isn't a word that gets theme-park-goers' adrenaline flowing. And, it's certainly not a word that was likely often heard when Walt Disney was planning to build the theme parks that The Walt Disney Company is so well-known for now. Ditto for Six Flags Entertainment. DIS was apt to be most concerned with recreating its famous movies in amusement park ride form, while SIX was just flat-out trying to assemble the optimal mix of rides to attract the biggest crowd when it was planning its portfolio of amusement parks. From a businessman's standpoint though, "relevant" is crucial to a theme park's survival when there are more choices and forms of entertainment than we've ever seen before.
So how is Independent Film Development Corporation going to be relevant? By offering what interests most people most of the time in this era.
Even to the infrequent TV watcher, there's no doubt that television-programming tastes have changed. Indeed, pop literature and pop culture have changed; TV programs are only a reflection of those evolving preferences. That change has been, simply, a migration to entertainment that's edgier, a little more serious, a lot more mysterious, and seriously scarier.
As proof of that idea, one only has to look at some of televisions' most popular programs. They include The Walking Dead, Ancient Aliens, Sleepy Hollow, Ghost Hunters. It's evident in film too. The Twiight and Underworld film series were both box office hits, and both about vampires and werewolves. You get the idea. These are all shows and movies that 20 years ago would have prompted a watcher-response of "I don't get it", and that's if they were able to even get aired. Twenty years ago, it was The Walt Disney Company dominating the film industry with titles like Toy Story and the Lion King. And, though its television efforts at the time were less meaningful than the company's films, The Disney Channel was becoming a huge success as it outgrew its premium-channel confines and made its way to basic cable in 1997.
As they say, however, things change... and they did. Disney is no longer the go-to choice for entertainment - not even for kids. Access to the internet and the sheer volume of content choices in addition to the ongoing desensitization of what's scary or unacceptable has largely meant Walt Disney's brand of bubble gum entertainment is losing its luster. What people want is the edgier stuff, which is where Independent Film Development Corporation.
In the Catskills, New York, IFLM is developing a new kind of resort/theme park - one that brings the scary things we see on the big and small screens to life. Imagine a water flume ride that instead of carrying you through a briar patch full of animated bears carries you down the River Styx, ending with a splashy narrow escape from Hades. Or, rather than a photo opportunity with a fumy-talking mouse, visitors of this theme park may catch a glimpse of Bigfoot lurking around the park's trees. There's no laughing, always-hungry talking dog getting lost in a artificially-haunted mansion here. At the IndyFilmCorp, the haunted houses are going to actually look and feel haunted, and visitors are going to love every minute of it.
In any case, while investors haven't heard much on the park-development front in a while, this morning's modest news may well be an omen of much bigger news on the way. David Pugh has been named the company's chief communications officer. It's a new position, and suggests there's going to be a lot more to communicate in 2014. As veteran investors of developmental companies know, it's news that makes the stock worth owning before that first dollar of operating revenue is generated.
Bottom line? At the very least, small cap fans and enthusiast should put IFLM on their watchlists. While it's not going to become the next Disney or the next Six Flags Entertainment in the foreseeable future, it doesn't have to get that big to reward investors nicely.
For a better description and a conceptual drawing of the park/resort, go here.
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