FVI acquired Beyond the Door for $100,000 and the film went on to earn $9 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful independent releases of that year.
[1][5][6] In 1980, FVI acquired the rights to the Italian film Great White, a thinly veiled Jaws rip-off starring James Franciscus and Vic Morrow.
Montoro and FVI spent over $4 million in advertising in the U.S., but Universal Pictures promptly filed a lawsuit, claiming that the film was too derivative of Jaws.
[1][7] By 1984, FVI was on the verge of collapse due to multiple financial issues, including the release failure of Great White, the poor box-office performance of the studio's final film Mutant, and a pending divorce settlement of Montoro's.
Film Ventures International officially closed its doors in 1985, filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and later being purchased by the INI Entertainment Group.
[9] Some of their films, including fan favorites Pod People and Cave Dwellers, were eventually riffed by the cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000.