‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Producer With 1MDB Ties to Sell NFTs of Film Scenes

The 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the debauched-stockbroker-turned-felon Jordan Belfort, has achieved cult status on web forums. Thousands of memes and clips circulate on sites such as Discord and Reddit, and countless goods based on the movie—posters, iPhone cases, hoodies—sell on EBay, Etsy and Redbubble. But Red Granite Pictures, the production company that owns the rights to Wolf, doesn’t get a cent of that money. So Red Granite is seeking to sell nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, to help it monetize the fan base and keep pirates at bay. “This is a way to protect the intellectual property of the film,” says Randy Hermann, Red Granite’s chief financial officer.

For $100 and up, the company says, fans will have the opportunity to own collectible NFTs linked to scenes from the Martin Scorsese megahit, which grossed more than $400 million at the box office. Buyers will become members of an online community where they can purchase swag such as props and costumes and hear remixed songs from the soundtrack. On April 10, an affiliate of Red Granite secured a preliminary order from a Florida court preventing more than 150 websites from selling products it alleges infringe on its ownership rights, and it’s working with lawyers to take down pirated versions of the movie.