In Brief:
- Hollywood Hills said its Villa NFTs are coming to OpenSea, led by five legendary estates from the world of the cosmic horror film backed by The Sandbox (official site) co-founders Arthur Madrid and Sébastien Borget.
- The collection has 3,000 Villas drawn by illustrator Steve Scott. Investors in the film’s Republic crowdfunding round receive them, and higher check sizes get rarer tiers.
- The campaign has a $200 minimum, runs through Dec. 31, 2026, and promises backers 120% of their investment before profits are split.
Hollywood Hills Villas are heading to OpenSea. The film’s official account said the drop includes “Five legendary estates from the world of Hollywood Hills,” and the Villas will arrive before the movie does.
“Every Villa is a house from the world of the film, and they drop before the film, not after,” the project said in its announcement on X.
Hollywood Hills Villas are coming to @opensea .
Five legendary estates from the world of Hollywood Hills, a cosmic horror film backed by the founders of @TheSandboxGame . Every Villa is a house from the world of the film, and they drop before the film, not after.
The mint
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Each Villa is an address in a fictional version of the Hollywood Hills and holds a clue to the film’s central mystery, according to the project’s website. The collection totals 3,000 pieces, all illustrated by Steve Scott.
How the Villas are distributed
There’s no open mint. Villas go to investors in the Hollywood Hills Reg CF offering on Republic, and the tier depends on the size of the investment.
A $200 “Passenger” stake gets a Common Villa. At $300, the “Comet Rider” tier hands out Legendary, Rare or Uncommon Villas depending on timing. Uncommon Villas go to $500 “Witness” backers and Rare ones to $1,000 “Investigator” backers. A $2,500 “Society” stake gets a Legendary, and investments of $10,000 or more are guaranteed one.
Every Villa comes with access to a holder-only Discord, The Black Fire Archive investigation game and early access to a prequel comic. Uncommon and higher tiers add a digital art book. Rare tiers include 125-year story annotations, and Legendary Villas can become “canon in the comic or The Black Fire Archive,” the website said.
Only the first 1,000 investors receive Villas. The project told buyers to use only the OpenSea collection link posted on the official Hollywood Hills website.
The Villas are a perk for investors. They aren’t part of the security being offered.
The raise
Public fundraising opened on Republic on Oct. 8 and closes Dec. 31, 2026. The production is seeking $2.5 million overall, including $1 million through Republic. The Reg CF offering has a $75,000 minimum target and a $5 million cap.
Backers get a contractual revenue share. They’re first in line to recoup 120% of their investment, and remaining proceeds are split after that. Other perks include a hero prop from the film, a private screening and a personalized signed screenplay.
“This is the tokenization of a real world asset,” said Madrid, The Sandbox co-founder and chairman.
The film
Benjamin Rozovas is writing and directing Hollywood Hills, his feature debut. In the story, a true-crime sightseeing tour through the Hollywood Hills turns terrifying after a mysterious cosmic event.
Madrid and Borget are lead investors and partners. The Sandbox SAND $0.05971 ▼ -10.6% is a strategic marketing and community partner. Harrison Allen and Oscar Gervet are producers, and Benjamin Domenech and Santiago Gallelli of Rei Pictures are the Spanish partners.
The advisory board includes Pressman Film CEO Sam Pressman, filmmaker Nicolas Saada and Thomas Vu, an executive producer on Arcane and former head of creative at Riot Games.
Principal photography is planned for the third quarter of 2027 in Spain, with a release targeted for 2028. The film was first announced at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
“We’ve been working on this cosmic horror movie for almost two years. The main idea was to use our experience on a couple of things from The Sandbox,” Madrid said.
The production has also partnered with Los Angeles operator Grave Line Tours on a “Dead & Famous” bus tour that starts in October.
Background
Madrid and Borget stepped back from day-to-day leadership of The Sandbox when Animoca Brands’ Robby Yung took over. Madrid stayed on as chairman, and Borget became an ambassador.
“Everything is changing in the movies industry, and it’s pretty interesting to build an IP and build a community even before the movie is made,” Madrid said.
Borget pitched the Villas as part of the story itself.
“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,” said Borget.
