Home Media Magazine - September 16-22, 2007 - (Page 8)

NEWS BRIEFS I CEDIA GROWS ATTENDEES The CEDIA Expo in Denver Sept. 5-9 drew an estimated 29,000 people, a record for the residential electronics systems trade show, and a 4% increase over 2006, show organizers said. “Even at a time when negative housing trends and economic concerns could have forced many in the industry to stay home, CEDIA Expo increased in size again,” said Don Gilpin, executive director of the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. CEDIA Expo has become one of the top shows for companies to unveil their latest hardware, with roughly a dozen new high-def players debuting there last week. – Chris Tribbey Image Inks Deals With Revolver, Odd Lot Company hopes to add to its high-profile feature release slate By Erik Gruenwedel S U P P L I E R Image Entertainment has signed separate North American DVD and electronic sellthrough distribution deals with Revolver Entertainment LLC and Odd Lot Entertainment, the latter including theatrical. Digital rights include distribution via Egami Media Inc., Image’s electronic sellthrough subsidiary. Image acquired theatrical, DVD and electronic sellthrough rights to Odd Lot romantic comedy Suburban Girl and Western comedy Undead or Alive: A Zombedy. In Suburban, Sarah Michelle Gellar (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) stars as a junior book editor who falls for a much older publisher played by Alec Baldwin. The film is tentatively slated for theatrical release in 2008, a distribution channel Image plans to explore in earnest in the near future, according to COO David Borshell. The DVD is due Jan. 15, 2008. “We have made a significant commitment to being in the feature-film business, and this agreement with Odd Lot is a perfect example of the type of high-quality, cast-driven projects Image will bring to market,” Borshell said. The film is tentatively scheduled to street Feb. 12 on I ARTS ALLIANCE IN DEAL WITH ARTHOUSE FILMS Arthouse Films has cut an exclusive output deal with home entertainment industry veteran Joe Amodei’s Arts Alliance America to distribute its titles in the United States on DVD and through digital distribution. The multiyear deal calls for the release of 15 to 20 titles a year, beginning with the Berlin and Tribeca Film Festival winner A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams & the Warhol Factory and Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe, from director James Crump. – Thomas K. Arnold I TLA GETS INVINCIBLE A newly formed film production and distribution company out of Philadelphia will have its first documentary released on DVD by TLA Releasing. Invincible Pictures’ The Disco Biscuits: Progressions streets Nov. 13. First-time director Chris Lonergan filmed three December 2006 concerts of the jam band, finishing with its New Year’s 2006 show at New Jersey’s Tweeter Center in front of 10,000 people. Band and fan interviews, rehearsal footage and more are included on the DVD. – Chris Tribbey DVD for $27.98. In December, Image will release on DVD Undead, which stars James Denton (“Desperate Housewives”) as a Union soldier on the run who teams up with Chris Kattan (“Saturday Night Live”) to rob the corrupt sheriff of a town of zombies. The DVD, which is slated for release Dec. 11 (prebook Oct. 30) at $26.98, will include bonus material, including director commentaries. Under terms of the Revolver deal, Chatsworth, Calif.-based Image will release 12 to 15 titles on DVD during the first year, including, on Nov. 13, 3000 Miles: Gumball 3000 ($19.99). Prebook is Oct. 2. The adventure, realitytype movie features skateboard champs Tony Hawk and Mike Valley, BMX rider Mike Escamilla and MTV “Jackass” cast members Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn as a team competing in the Gumball 3000, an eight-day, around-the-world car race. “Our companies have been working together for several years, primarily in the U.K. market and, over this time, have built a solid relationship,” Borshell said. Redbox Picks Up a Pair of Kiosk Patents By Chris Tribbey R E TA I L Redbox, the DVD kiosk service operated by McDonald’s Ventures LLC and Coinstar Inc., has acquired two patents the company believes will be key to maintaining its DVD rental kiosk dominance. “Automated Merchandise Dispensing and Retrieval System” recognizes Redbox’s technology that allows consumers to rent DVDs from one location and return them to another, with Redbox tracking the DVD’s trip. “Article Dispensing System” supports Redbox’s method of installing new DVDs at the kiosks. “Redbox continues to pioneer new technology,” said Redbox CEO Gregg Kaplan. “These new patents protect Redbox’s technology and reinforce our leadership positions in the DVD rental business and growing contributions to automated retail.” Lionsgate Gets Mandate — and a New Executive By Erik Gruenwedel Wonder Emporium, with Dustin HoffS U P P L I E R Seeking to invigorate man and Natalie Portman; Jason Reitits theatrical distribution and execu- man’s Juno; and Harold & Kumar 2, the tive ranks, Lionsgate has acquired sequel to Mandate’s 2004 comedy hit. independent production A key driver to the deal is company Mandate Pictures Mandate’s strength in forand named its CEO Joe eign sales of third-party tiDrake co-COO and presitles, including Because I Said dent of the Santa Monica, So, with Diane Keaton; Calif.-based mini-major’s White Jazz with George motion picture group. Clooney; and the upcoming The $56.3 million acquisi- Stranger Than remake of Sleuth, with Jude tion — which includes disFiction Law and Michael Caine, who tribution of $44.3 million in starred in the 1972 original cash and $12 million in Lionsgate with Laurence Olivier. stock over an 18-month period — exMandate also co-produced The cludes an additional $6.6 million in Grudge, Boogeyman, The Grudge 2 Mandate debt Lionsgate will assume. and The Messengers. Drake, who headed Lionsgate’s in“This acquisition reunites an entreternational distribution division until preneurial executive with an entrepre2001, founded Mandate and pro- neurial company as well as adding a duced and co-produced a series of suc- third-party domestic and internationcessful movies, including 2006’s al profit center to our diverse business Stranger Than Fiction, with Will Fer- operations,” said Jon Feltheimer, Lirell; the upcoming Mr. Magorium’s onsgate cochairman and CEO. WELL GO GOES FOR YOGA By Angelique Flores S U P P L I E R Long under the radar, Well Go USA is boosting its presence in the home entertainment industry with key acquisitions and expansion at retail. The Dallas-based supplier-distributor just snagged distribution rights to Ana Brett and Ravi Singh’s yoga DVDs. Yoga Beauty Body and Dance the Chakras Yoga Workout will street Oct. 23, and Yoga Bliss Hips is due Nov. 27 at $16.98 each. Brett and Singh, who built their reputations as yoga instructors to a number of celebrities, wanted to expand their DVDs into brick-and-mortar retail for the first time, said Tony Vanderveerdonk, VP of sales and marketing. Cutting the deal was quite an achievement for Well Go. “The DVDs are the No. 1 fitness brand on Amazon and the No. 1 yoga brand on Amazon,” he said. This is just the first high-profile step for the company, which has similar deals in the works. Up to now, the company has had a footprint in the Asian market, where it has licensed and distributed non-Asian content. With offices in China and Taiwan, Well Go plans to bring more Asian product to the United States, Vanderveerdonk said. “We’re in a big growth mode,” he said. Besides expanding both its domestic presence and its international reach, the company has four target areas of product growth: kidvid, fitness, sports and Latin. The company’s “Hi-5” brand is so far leading its kidvid titles. The Discover Kids show features musical act Hi-5 and is the No. 1 rated show on Discovery Kids’ “Ready, Set, Learn” block, Vanderveerdonk said. “Our goal is to knock The Wiggles off their perch,” he said. The next title to come out of that line is Hi-5 Wonderful Wishes ($14.98) Nov. 13. I TEAM BABY WINS DVD AWARD Team Baby Entertainment’s Our Country, USA to Z has been named a gold winner by the 2007 National Parenting Publications Awards committee. The DVD features Whoopi Goldberg narrating an alphabetic history of the United States. The soundtrack consists of children’s versions of American music classics, backed by children’s musician Joe McDermott. The committee, which consists of family and children’s experts, has been bestowing awards for appropriate, safe and entertaining children’s product for 17 years. – Billy Gil Home Media Magazine September 16–22, 2007

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Contents News Commentary TV DVD Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Christian Entertainment Review

Home Media Magazine - September 16-22, 2007

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