Vivid's Porn Empire Mimics Hollywood

By copying the Hollywood script, porn czar Steven Hirsch's Vivid Entertainment has managed to carve out a giant piece of the porn pie. Vivid, the leader in pornographic videos, pulls in about $100 million a year in an industry that brings in an estimated $13 billion annually—compared with Hollywood's $10.6 billion. Hirsch's company has managed to stay top dog by embracing the current tabloid atmosphere and marketing TMZ-pimped celebrity sex tapes and Hollywood porn parodies. "We have done celebrities for many years but have more recently acquired more than ever before as public appetite has increased," Hirsch told The Hollywood Reporter. "The days of generic adult films are gone because there are many, many websites for stuff like that." Laurence Fishburne's daughter Montana's sex tape—the subject of tabloid scandal—has grossed $1 million, selling 25,000 tapes so far at $45 a pop. And the blurring of Hollywood/porn has helped porn starlets like Riley Steele ( Piranha 3D) and Sasha Grey ( Entourage) cross into the mainstream. "The media and consumers love this stuff," said one industry source. "Paris didn't lose anything, and Kim Kardashian escalated her fame." Next up for Vivid: Superman XXX: A Porn Parody, and spoofs of movies including Grease, A Clockwork Orange, and even The Godfather.