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At 18, Mario Kassar produced his first film. Soon after, in the mid-1970s, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in filmmaking. Kassar quickly gained recognition as an innovative producer in the L.A. film industry and was credited as one of the pioneers of foreign market and co-production financing.
Kassar’s early work as an independent filmmaker involved small-scale releases like "The Amateur" and "Victory," while he founded Carolco International, his own independent theatrical motion picture distribution company, in 1976. He released numerous independent features, achieving his first major success with the Rambo franchise. The original "First Blood" (1982), starring Sylvester Stallone, became a significant hit. Stallone reportedly signed a 10-picture deal with Carolco, enabling the sequel "Rambo: First Blood Part II."
Kassar is best known for his association with "Total Recall" (1990) and the "Terminator" franchise. Both starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and were produced by Carolco, except for the first "Terminator," which was financed by Orion.
Other Carolco productions included the underwater thriller "DeepStar Six," the erotic thriller "Basic Instinct," and "Cliffhanger," another Stallone hit from 1993. The success of Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi film "Stargate" led to the creation of a cable series, "Stargate SG-1" (1997), starring Richard Dean Anderson. Notably, Carolco also produced "Chaplin," featuring Robert Downey Jr. as the legendary actor Charlie Chaplin.
In 2002, Kassar launched a new production company, C-2 Pictures, to produce "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," one of the most expensive films of that year. The 2003 release revitalized the franchise.
Kassar continues to produce films but is also very family-oriented, dedicating much of his time to personal matters. He is best remembered for helping establish a successful business model for the international film market. Alongside other pioneers like Dino De Laurentiis, Kassar helped shape Hollywood's foreign sales and exhibition strategies during the 1980s, which have become the industry standard in today’s studio system.
His films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide.
