In Brief:
- The Sandbox co-founders launched a financing campaign for Hollywood Hills, a cosmic horror film blending audience investment, collectibles, and an interactive mystery.
- The campaign opens on October 8 and aims to raise $1 million, offering contractual revenue sharing to investors.
- A digital art collection linked to the film, called Hollywood Hills Villas, has also been introduced, featuring 3,000 artworks.
Funding campaign announced
The Sandbox (official site) co-founders Arthur Madrid and Sébastien Borget are spearheading a financing campaign for Hollywood Hills, a horror film that combines audience engagement with digital collectibles and a real-world tour in Los Angeles. The campaign seeks to raise $1 million, targeting a minimum investment of $200, and will run from October 8 until December 31, 2026. The offering stipulates a minimum funding goal of $75,000, with a ceiling of $5 million.
Madrid and Borget will serve as lead investors and partners in production, while The Sandbox SAND $0.07453 ▲ +67.9% is set to assist in marketing and community development. The project was first unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
Film details
Written and directed by Benjamin Rozovas, Hollywood Hills follows a celebrity-death tour that devolves into an exploration of Hollywood’s dark history over a single night. As a dying star looms overhead, the bus leaves its usual route and enters an underworld of buried secrets.
Principal photography is slated for the third quarter of 2027 in Spain, with the film expected to release in 2028.
Investor returns
The campaign allows investors contractual rights to share in revenue generated by the film. They will receive repayment of 120% of their investment before proceeds are split evenly between them and the producers. However, returns depend on available funds and are not guaranteed.
Digital art collection
As part of the campaign, the project has launched Hollywood Hills Villas, featuring 3,000 digital artworks illustrated by Steve Scott. The first 1,000 investors will receive these Villas, which represent locations in the film’s fictional universe. Each Villa contains clues tied to the film’s mythology, with Rare and Legendary Villas offering unique insights into its central mystery.
“The Villas are not simply collectibles. They’re pieces of evidence, carrying clues that invite people to investigate, form theories and become part of the mythology,” Borget said.
Unique bus tour experience
In conjunction with the campaign, a partnership with Grave Line Tours will kick off a Dead & Famous bus tour in October. Investors will gain early access, with plans to open the tour to the public closer to the film’s release. The tour will showcase sites linked to celebrity deaths, following the route taken by characters in the film, with the experience designed to deepen the project’s lore.
