Anchor Bay Entertainment will handle home entertainment distribution for The Weinstein Company’s multi-platform label, RADiUS, per an agreement announced on Tuesday.
The deal kicks off with RADiUS’ “Butter,” a comedy starring Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde and Hugh Jackman. It goes on sale this week.
The Weinstein Company owns 25 percent of Anchor Bay, which already distributes The Weinstein Company's new films on DVD and digital platforms.
"We've been big fans of theirs for a long time, even in our former capacity at Magnolia," RADiUS-TWC co-chief Tom Quinn told TheWrap. "They are the heavyweights of the DVD industry outside of the studio system."
The deal with RADiUS covers DVD and Blu-Ray but not digital, which is central to RADiUS' mission. RADiUS releases its films in theaters, but will sometimes release them on VOD or via digital platforms in advance, as it did with "Bachelorette." That movie became the first to top the iTunes chart before its theatrical debut.
RADiUS employs a different strategy with each movie, believing a standardized approach could hurt some of its titles.
Also Read: 'Bachelorette' First Pre-Theatrical Release to Top iTunes Movies Chart
The multi-year deal covers films such as "Bachelorette," starring Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher, and "Lay the Favorite," starring Bruce Willis, Vince Vaughn and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Jason Janego, Quinn's partner in running the label, said that they have spoken with Anchor Bay since they started at RADiUS.
"While the partnership wasn't official, they were always incredibly helpful thinking in terms of the DVD window," Janego said.
“Radius-TWC has an impressive slate coming up and Anchor Bay is thrilled to be offering these films to consumers,” Bill Clark, President of Anchor Bay Entertainment, said in a statement. “We’ve enjoyed working with the RADiUS-TWC team on the first release, "Butter," and are confident the partnership will be extremely successful.”