Carolco Pictures Inc.
Carolco Pictures Inc.
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Product Details
Beautifully engraved bond certificate from Carolco Pictures Inc., dating back to the 1990's. This document, which carries the printed signatures of the company Chairman of the Board and Secretary, was printed by the American Bank Note Company, and measures approximately 12" (w) by 8" (h).
This certificate's intricate vignette features a female figure in front of a globe and a film strip.
Images
You will receive the exact certificate pictured.
Historical Context
Carolco Pictures is a film production company started by Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna back in the late 1970's. Beginning in producing a couple of AIP films (such as the 1976 science fiction thriller Futureworld) in addition to a bunch of ITC Entertainment films (such as the 1977 thriller The Domino Principle) and Canadian films (such as the 1979 comedy The Silent Partner), they eventually worked their way up by producing First Blood in 1982.
Financing their productions through international sales, they created a model in which their films often had high budgets and gave the actors a handsome sum for their services. A few of their movies even broke records for the highest budgeted movies ever (1985's Rambo: First Blood Part II cost $44 million, 1988's Rambo III cost $63 million and 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day cost $102 million, the first film to break that mark). They also had a limited television presence, via the occasional TV-movie, as well as ownership of syndication firm Orbis Communications, which distributed both the 1990 incarnation of The Joker's Wild and the John Davidson version of The $100,000 Pyramid; they sold Orbis to Multimedia Entertainment (the people who brought us Donahue and Jerry Springer); that company was subsequently acquired by Universal in 1996 (and thus dooming Joker and Pyramid to legal limbo, as the other versions of those shows are owned by Sony Pictures Television).
Despite their success, the high costs and the company's spending sprees (they also broke into television production, home video distribution and owned a studio formerly owned by Dino de Laurentiis in North Carolina) caught up with the company. Vajna left to start his own production company, Cinergi, and Kassar began to spend more to make more. Two 1995 productions, Showgirls and Cutthroat Island, sealed the company's fate as both films cost a combined $140 million and grossed just a combined $30 million. While Showgirls turned a major profit on home video, Carolco had sold the film's rights in pre-production.
In 1996, the French broadcaster Canal+ paid $58 million to acquire Carolco. That channel's movie studio, StudioCanal, now owns the rights to virtually all of Carolco's library; with the exceptions of Showgirls (United Artists and Pathe), Stargate (the film is owned by StudioCanal as they co-produced, but Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer owns the rest of the franchise), Cliffhanger (TriStar), and Last Of The Dogmen (Focus Features by way of Savoy Pictures). Paramount owns American TV distribution to most of the Carolco library (thanks to acquiring Worldvision Enterprises in 1999, which had a deal with Carolco struck in 1991; strangely despite having their TV division taken away by CBS in 2005 with the CBS/Viacom split Paramount continues to hold TV rights, with Trifecta Entertainment and Media handling distribution), with Sony and Rialto Pictures handling theatrical re-releases. Video releases are frequently handled by Lionsgate due to having acquired Artisan Entertainment, which had a close relationship with Carolco in the early 90s (indeed, Carolco owned a stake in Artisan's predecessors, IVE and Live Entertainment)
Additional Information
Certificates carry no value on any of today's financial indexes and no transfer of ownership is implied. All items offered are collectible in nature only. So, you can frame them, but you can't cash them in!
All of our pieces are original - we do not sell reproductions. If you ever find out that one of our pieces is not authentic, you may return it for a full refund of the purchase price and any associated shipping charges.
FAQ
Are the certificates offered on your site genuine or reproductions?
All of the certificates you see on our site are genuine pieces, we do not sell any reproductions.Are the certificates you sell negotiable on any of today's stock markets or indexes?
No. All of the pieces we sell are either canceled or obsolete and have collectible value only.
Are the images presented in your product listings of the exact piece I will receive?
It depends. We try to present images of the exact piece you will receive whenever possible. However, when we are offering quantities of a piece, this is impossible. Within every product page we detail whether or not you will be receiving the exact certificate listed, or if the image is a representative example of the one you will receive.
How will you ship my order and how much do you charge?
We ship all orders via the United States Postal Service. Most domestic orders are shipped via Ground Advantage. USPS International, Priority and Express Mail, UPS and DHL services are also available, and costs are calculated during checkout. Current charges may be reviewed here.
Can I return my purchase?
Absolutely. You may return any merchandise, for any reason, within 30 days of the purchase date for a full refund of the purchase price.
We guarantee all of our pieces to be authentic. If you ever determine that a piece is not authentic, it may be returned for a full refund of the purchase price as well as any associated shipping charges.
Shipping
If your order exceeds $35, and the shipping address is within the United States, shipping via USPS Ground Advantage is FREE!
We make every effort to ship out all orders within 24 hours of receipt.
We ship the majority of orders via the USPS, with domestic orders using the Ground Advantage service.
Shipping is calculated during checkout. Upgraded services such as Priority and Express Mail, as well as UPS and DHL options, are also available.
As soon as your order is shipped you will receive your tracking information via email.
OVERSEAS ORDERS PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DECLARE FULL ORDER VALUE ON ALL SHIPMENTS. CUSTOMER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL VAT/CUSTOMS CHARGES.
Returns
Our goal is to make sure every item you receive is exactly what you had in mind. If you not happy with your purchase, we’ll help you get it sorted in a timely and professional manner.
You can return anything we offer for an exchange, refund or store credit within 30 days of delivery. Return shipping costs may apply, and the item must be in its original condition and packaging.
Any shipping charges collected on the original order are not eligible for a refund.