Blumhouse Inks Deal with ‘Shark Tank’ Contestant American Immersion Theater

Jason Blum appeared on last week's episode and was impressed with the company, which specializes in interactive murder, mystery events as well as other live theater experiences.


A colorful Shark Tank pitch that began with the murder of a butler has ended with Blumhouse striking a partnership with American Immersion Theater and the Murder Mystery Company.


Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum appeared on Friday’s episode of the ABC venture capital series, and agreed to purchase a 10 percent stake in the company for $350,000 — noting there was likely a crossover amongst people who go see his horror films, and those who enjoy going to live immersive events. Scott Cramton, founder of the company, who appeared on the show dressed as a murder detective, agreed.


“Scott Cramton has built up a tremendous business in The Murder Mystery Company and American Immersion Theater,” Blum said in a statement. “His dedication to bringing guests not just a show but a bespoke, thrilling narrative is an exciting concept to our ambition in immersive experiences of all kind, said Blum in a statement. “We look forward to collaborating with Scott and his team of Immersioneers.”


It’s the latest expansion into the live events space for Blumhouse, which in January revealed it would be curating an exhibit at the hotel that inspired Stephen King’s The Shining.


Cramton launched The Murder Mystery Company in 2002 to focus on interactive murder, mystery events. The company rebranded as American Immersion Theater after acquiring five other brands in the immersive space. The company now offers 7,500 shows annually in 23 cities.


“All of American Immersion Theater could not be more thrilled to team with Blumhouse! It’s a dream come true to be able to work together to change the landscape of Immersive Experiences. My hope is that we can galvanize people’s interest in immersive experiences on a global scale,” said Cramton in a statement of the new partnership.


Details of what the partnership were not revealed, but Blumhouse already dabbles in the space, with Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. The company is in a growth period, having recently completed its merger with James Wan’s Atomic Monster, bringing together two horror power houses with franchises like The Conjuring, Insidious, M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddie‘s under one roof.