MUMBAI: Motion picture and television studio STX Entertainment and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment have entered into a multi-year partnership in which Universal will handle all marketing, sales and distribution services for Blu-ray, DVD, Electronic Sell-Through and TVOD platforms of STX Entertainment's theatrical titles across North America.
STX Entertainment, which handles its own production, marketing and distribution of its theatrical projects, is ramping up quickly and recently revealed it will release 12-15 major motion pictures a year beginning in 2016.
STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson said, “Universal has one of the most aggressive and inventive home entertainment teams in the industry. Their philosophy of being platform agnostic and allowing for growth in new and emerging areas of delivery is very exciting. We could not have more confidence in their ability to represent STX Entertainment's new catalogue of motion pictures in the home entertainment marketplace.”
Universal Pictures president and chief distribution officer Peter Levinsohn added, “STX will be an excellent complement to Universal's exceptional portfolio of diverse home entertainment distribution partners. Robert Simonds is one of the most innovative and accomplished professionals in the film business and we are thrilled to join forces with him and his veteran team of talented executives in what we expect will be a long and successful collaboration.”
This Universal agreement marks the second partnership announced by STX Entertainment, who in January of this year closed a multi-year output agreement with Showtime Networks to bring motion pictures distributed theatrically by STX exclusively to Showtime Networks during the premium television window. The deal covers the studio's theatrical releases through 2019.
STX has been ramping up production on its film slate and recently announced the first four motion pictures it will release theatrically. On 31 July, 2015, the studio will debut The Gift, a contemporary psychological thriller from Jason Blum's Blumhouse, directed by Joel Edgerton and starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall and Edgerton. Secret in Their Eyes will be released on 23 October, 2015. The thriller is written and directed by Billy Ray and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. On 22 January, 2016, STX will release The Boy, a horror film from director William Brent Bell, written by Stacey Menear and starring Lauren Cohan. And 11 March, 2016, brings the release of the epic action-drama The Free State of Jones, starring Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell and Mahershala Ali from writer-director and four-time Academy Award nominee Gary Ross.
