2.5 million.
That’s how many people tuned in to see Sharktopus premiere on the SyFy Channel last September. Seems that epically giant sea creatures coupled with former teen stars (or has-beens from yesteryear) and low budgets create the kind of schlock that people eat up these days, getting all kinds of exposure about a year ago with the Deborah Gibson-starring Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. (She’s doing it up again with Tiffany in Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. A new classic-to-be, I’m sure.)
But, if you missed Eric Roberts and the timeless tale of a misunderstood half-shark, half-octopus, don’t fret: it’s hitting Blu-ray and DVD on March 15th:
An eight-tentacled nightmare hybrid of shark and octopus, “S-11” was created by genetic scientist Nathan Sands (Roberts) as the U.S. Navy’s next super-weapon. But when its control implants are damaged during a training experiment off the Mexican coast, the beast escapes to Puerto Vallarta to sample the local fare — bikini babes, jet-skiers, and spring-breakers. With the ocean terror now out of control and seemingly invincible, a ragtag group – comprised of a hotshot mercenary, an investigative reporter, and Sand’s biomechanical engineer daughter – have come together to stop the unholy beast from turning a seaside tourist resort into the ultimate human buffet.
But it won’t be easy: it possesses problem-solving intelligence, attacks without mercy or warning – it even has the ability to walk on land. Not to mention a decided affinity to snack on bungee jumpers… Kerem Bursin and Sara Malakul Lane co-star, with a hilarious cameo by Corman himself.
Apparently Sharktopus was the highest-rated creature-feature to premiere in September. I’m assuming “ever,” but that’s not quite certain. Either way: it was a hit for the questionably spelled basic cable station.
The Blu-ray will retail for $24.99 while the DVD will run you $19.98.