Anchor Bay Sets Up Theatrical Unit

BURBANK, October 10: The Starz Media-owned DVD label Anchor
Bay Entertainment is launching a theatrical film division that plans to release
eight to ten titles a year.

The new division, Anchor Bay Films, will be led by Anchor
Bay Entertainment’s president, Bill Clark. It is looking to benefit from Anchor
Bay’s distribution infrastructure, with operations in the U.S., Canada,
Australia and other markets.

“While many entertainment companies are now dissolving or
scaling back their independent film divisions and the independent video
industry is experiencing major consolidation, Anchor Bay Entertainment has
continued to expand,” commented CEO Chris McGurk. “Our company has distribution
capability across all platforms—DVD, premium pay TV thru Starz and now
theatrical. Anchor Bay Films can
now provide the high quality, fully integrated distribution platform that independent
filmmakers are seeking to maximize exposure for their films.”

According to Clark, Anchor Bay Films will acquire
“commercial star-driven films” as well as create “a highly collaborative,
filmmaker friendly environment spanning all aspects of the marketing and
release of each film. We will be adding a dedicated, high powered executive
team to run Anchor Bay Films and are currently in discussions with filmmakers
to begin immediate sourcing of films for the new label, which should be fully
operational by the end of this year.”

Clark continued, “This is a new chapter for Anchor Bay as we
formalize our theatrical efforts by having a dedicated executive team behind
it. It allows us to dedicate
exclusive resources to both the theatrical and home-entertainment markets based
upon the favorable economics we have already experienced. We, at Anchor Bay,
are thrilled to be able to fill the void in the video business and be the only
provider of quality fully integrated distribution across multiple territories
for independent films—truly a one-stop shopping solution for this
industry.”

—By Mansha Daswani