Redbox, whose core business remains renting DVDs from kiosks across the U.S., is upsizing its ambitions in the original movie biz as well as expanding its free, ad-supported streaming platforms in a deal with Lionsgate.
Under a multiyear distribution pact, Lionsgate will handle distribution of Redbox Entertainment titles across home entertainment windows and lead licensing efforts of the films to subscription-streaming services. Redbox says it expects to release 36 original movies per year. Originally, Redbox’s strategy was to distribute the films through its owned-and-operated channels but it’s now looking for wider distribution.
In addition, Redbox entered into a licensing for films and TV shows from Lionsgate’s 17,000-title library for Redbox‘s ad-supported AVOD and free ad-supported television (FAST) services.
Recently released Redbox Entertainment films include “Capone” starring Tom Hardy, “Shadow in the Cloud” starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Nick Robinson, and “SAS: Red Notice” starring Sam Heughan and Ruby Rose. Upcoming releases include “The Last Son” with Machine Gun Kelly and Heather Graham, “Bandit” with Josh Duhamel and Mel Gibson, and “Muti” starring Morgan Freeman and Cole Hauser.
“Redbox has a large slate of films coming in 2022 and beyond, and we’re excited to work with Lionsgate to identify those that are a great fit for their distribution model,” said Galen Smith, CEO of Redbox, said in a statement.
Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate’s president of worldwide distribution, motion picture group, added that the companies’ partnership “has evolved into a multifaceted distribution relationship across home entertainment, SVOD and AVOD platforms that allows us to continue to diversify our content offering to our consumers.”
Redbox is in the process of becoming a publicly traded company, through a merger with Seaport Global Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Redbox says the SPAC deal, expected to close in Q3 of 2021, to “accelerate Redbox’s ongoing transformation to offer customers and partners a multiproduct experience across physical and digital channels.”
Pictured above: Tom Hardy in “Capone”
