Vid Distrbutor Alchemy Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Troubled independent DVD/Blu-ray distributor Alchemy has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in the USA bankruptcy court in Delaware. The move was no surprise and had been expected since late June when reports emerged that the company was taking steps to liquidate its assets.

In the filing, the company said it has $50 million to $100 million in liabilities and $10 million to $50 million in assets. The petition also said Alchemy has between 200 and 999 creditors.

Recently, the company recently launched a series of cuts in its work force, leaving Alchemy with about 25 employees. It was their second series of staff reductions this year. Alchemy co-president Kelly Summers left the Los Angeles-based company recently. 

Read more at variety.com/2016/film/news/alchemy-chapter-7-bankruptcy-protection-

Sony Inks DVD/BD Distribution Deal for TNT's 'The Librarians'

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) has signed a distribution deal in association with Electric Entertainment to distribute the first season of the TNT series “The Librarians” on Blu-ray and DVD in the United States and Canada this autumn.

The series, slated to launch its third season later this year, started airing in 2014 and finished the year as the #2 new series on basic cable, according to the video distributor.

Based on TNT’s movie franchise of the same name, “The Librarians” follows an ancient organization hidden beneath the Metropolitan Public Library dedicated to protecting an unknowing world from the secret, magical reality hidden all around. Rebecca Romijn (X-Men), Christian Kane (“Leverage,” “Angel”), Lindy Booth (Dawn of the Dead, “The Philanthropist”) and John Kim (The Pacific) star in the series as the newest protectors of the world’s mystical treasures, with John Larroquette (“Night Court,” “Deception”) as their reluctant caretaker, and Noah Wyle (“Falling Skies,” “ER”) as Flynn Carsen, the main character of the TV movies.

Also coming on DVD this fall from SPHE is “The Librarian” movie trilogy — The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004), The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines (2006) and The Librarian: Cure of the Judas Chalice (2008).

Universl Pictures Home Entertainment Announces 4K Releases

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) has announced plans to release a broad selection of films in 4K Ultra HD, the home entertainment industry's next-generation physical viewing format making its move in the video market. UPHE will begin a rollout of its growing roster of movie titles around the world beginning this summer, showcasing a mix of new releases, including some of this year's most-anticipated blockbusters The Huntsman: Winter's War, Warcraft and Jason Bourne as well as recent hits, such as Everest, Lucy and Lone Survivor, among others. Other 4K Ultra HD offerings in the pipeline will include a selection of IMAX spectacular cinematic films.

With roughly 100 titles across the industry expected to be available on store shelves to consumers by the end of 2016, UPHE plans to make its titles available in both 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD digital formats. All of the designated offerings will feature a combination of 4K resolution and the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range, with many additionally including multi-dimensional sound for the ultimate immersive audio experience.

Paramount and Walt Disney Studios Join EMA / Entertainment Merchants Association

EMA (Entertainment Merchants Association)  announced today that they're pleased to welcome Paramount and Walt Disney Studios to membership in the Association. "EMA's membership now includes all the major motion picture studios, and we look forward to working with them, along with all of our other members, to foster the health and vitality of the home entertainment industry," said EMA President & CEO Mark Fisher.

EMA member Baker & Taylor also welcomes these two key video suppliers to the association and looks forward to their participation.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Unveils First 4K Ultra HD Discs

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) this week announced its first releases in the next-generation 4K Ultra HD Disc format, which will arrive in early 2016.  "By some estimates, consumers will own over 100 million Ultra HD television sets by 2019.  Sony Pictures' 4K Ultra HD Discs will deliver consumers the ultimate home theater experience, with stunning picture and sound quality," said SPHE president, Man Jit Singh.  Singh continued, "Ten years ago this month, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment authored the world's first feature film on Blu-ray Disc™, and we continue to bring consumers the most innovative, immersive home entertainment experiences available."

SPHE's first 4K Ultra HD releases will include The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Salt, Hancock, Chappie, Pineapple Express, and The Smurfs 2, followed by a growing roster of titles including new release film and television content.

SPHE's 4K Ultra HD Discs feature four times the resolution of HD and include high dynamic range (HDR), which produces brilliant highlights, vibrant colors and greater contrast on compatible displays. Many titles will also support next-generation immersive audio formats.

Sony Pictures has a  large library of 4K content, including newer films and television shows, as well as classic catalog films restored from original film elements, including Fury, Captain Phillips, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Men In Black, Ghostbusters, The Fifth Element, Bad Boys, The Da Vinci Code, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Leon: The Professional, Lawrence Of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Guns of Navarone, Taxi Driver, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and many others.

FUNimation Entertainment Signs Distribution Deal with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

FUNimation Entertainment and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment have reached an exclusive multi-year distribution services agreement.  will manage distribution of FUNimation's entire DVD and Blu-ray line, as well as sales in the USA and Canada.   John Morici, Managing Director, U.S. and Canada, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, and Mike DuBoise, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, FUNimation, jointly made the announcement today.

This agreement will allow FUNimation, North America's anime market share leader, to continue delivering on its commitment to serve anime fans everywhere and to expand its leadership in home entertainment. "Pairing Universal's 'best-in-class' home entertainment distribution infrastructure with FUNimation's superior anime properties, along with our marketing, production, and fan engagement capabilities, effectively positions our companies for enduring success," said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of FUNimation. "We believe this new strategic agreement will create an important opportunity for us to strengthen our physical distribution business."

"We're excited to partner with FUNimation, the premier anime company in both the United States and Canada. They have a proven track record for marketing a compelling slate of titles as evidenced with such recent releases as 'Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods,' 'Attack on Titan,' 'Cowboy Bebop,' 'Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign,' and their upcoming theatrical release of 'Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F','" said Morici.  "We are pleased to enter into a distribution services partnership with this talented group and look forward to our collaboration."