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Investor protections
Most films should never be made.
We say no to roughly 95% of what comes through the door. Lazy cash-grabs, derivative knock-offs, AI-generated treatments, scripts that fall apart on a cold read — they don't get past us. Here is the gauntlet every Planet Drive In picture has to survive.
~5%
Of submissions greenlit
100%
Bonded for completion
Pari passu
Investors recoup before producer profit
We're not in the business of releasing every script that lands on the desk. We're in the business of releasing the ones that will thrill you, last, and return capital.
01 — The screen
What every film must clear
The 5% we take forward have to hit every one of these — not most, all.
Locked script
A finished draft that scares on a cold read. No 'we'll fix it in prep.' No 'the third act needs work.'
Filmmaker history
Verified prior work, festival appearances, and references from cast, crew, and previous financiers.
Talent attached
Real letters of intent or pay-or-play deals from cast and key creatives — not aspirational wish lists.
Budget integrity
Line-item budget stress-tested against schedule, locations, SAG/IATSE obligations, and post pipeline.
Distribution path
A defensible sales thesis: theatrical, streaming, festival, or genre-circuit — with comparable titles and target buyers.
Clean chain of title
All rights cleared, IP unencumbered, no red flags in legal or location logistics. Insurable on day one.
02 — What we kill
The films we send back
The fastest way to understand our taste is to know what we won't touch.
Torture-porn with no thesis. Cruelty is not entertainment.
AI-generated narrative features. Period.
'Found footage' with no real reason to be found footage.
Sequels and IP-extensions of films we didn't produce.
03 — On-set control
Our team is in the room
Vetting a script is the easy part. The real risk lives on set. So we live there too.
Budget control
Planet Drive In holds signing authority on the production account. Money moves when the schedule says — not when a producer wants it.
Schedule oversight
Daily reports up to Planet Drive In leadership. Overages flagged within 24 hours, not at the wrap party.
Completion bond
Every film is bonded through a recognized completion guarantor. If a production stalls, the bond company finishes it.
04 — Revenue waterfall
Investors get paid first.
Pari passu. No cute carve-outs. No producer fees skimmed before recoupment.
1
Investor principal
100% of investor capital returned, pari passu across the cap table, before any production-side payout.
2
Investor preferred return
An additional 15% premium paid to investors on top of principal — still before producers see a dollar of profit.
3
Profit split
Only after steps 1 and 2 are paid in full do remaining profits split between investors and the filmmaking team.
Ready to see the slate?
Who you're actually emailing
Questions about the process?
Filmmakers route to Stephen. Tech questions go to Kenneth. Investors route to Tyler. All replies within two business days.
