Blockbuster, The Weinstein Company Join Forces For Martial Arts Releases

DALLAS, January 17: The
Protector, presented by Quentin
Tarantino, and Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark’s Seven Swords are exclusively available on DVD from Blockbuster,
via the rental company’s alliance with The Weinstein Company.

These
are the first films to be available as part of a four-year alliance that
provides Blockbuster with exclusive U.S. rental rights to The Weinstein
Company's theatrical and direct-to-video movies. Other films that will be
available for rent exclusively at Blockbuster include Bobby, School for Scoundrels, Miss Potter and Grindhouse, among
others.

Blockbuster will make the
titles available both online and at all its company-operated stores as well as
participating franchise stores.

"As a result of this
agreement with The Weinstein Company, Blockbuster is going to be able to give
great visibility to quality independent films like The Protector and Seven Swords, some of which may not have had wide theatrical
release or any theatrical release at all," said Matthew Smith, the senior
VP of merchandising at Blockbuster. "We will now be able to really market
these films in-store and online and make them available to virtually 100
percent of the U.S. population. We
are thrilled to be able to do this for our customers, and we think it's a
pretty exciting opportunity for independent filmmakers as well."