CJ Entertainment Launches Home Media Arm

2 May, 2012 By: Chris Tribbey

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LOS ANGELES — Korean film company CJ Entertainment & Media is launching its own home entertainment arm, beginning with two DVD releases in July.

The largest entertainment company in Korea, and an original investor in DreamWorks SKG, CJ previously had its films distributed on disc in America via Tartan Video and others.

With a catalog of more than 270 films, CJ Entertainment America is looking at 2-3 releases a month and could get into Blu-ray Disc as soon as August.

“Seeing the success and profitability of [home entertainment] distribution in the U.S. these past years it makes sense for CJ Entertainment,” said Sam Maseba, VP of non-theatrical distribution.

CJ Entertainment titles already can be found on Netflix and Hulu, with negotiations in the works with Vudu and Amazon. CJ Entertainment can also be found on Verizon FiOS, Comcast and Time Warner Cable in certain parts of the nation, reaching 11 million households.

The parent company also operates premium multiplex theater sites, with more than 200 screens, including a flagship site in Los Angeles, and also is in the business of concert promotion, aiming to establish “K-pop” as a world music genre. Add on gaming and cable arms, and there’s plenty of Korean content on the way here stateside, according to Angela Killoren, VP of marketing for CJ Entertainment America.

“Instead of waiting for someone else to come along and distribute, we’ve stepped into the breach to self-distribute,” Killoren said. “People are discovering there’s a lot more to Korean films, and we have so much content, not just Korean.”

The first two discs to street from the new distributor include No Mercy, a crime thriller, and Hindsight, a romantic drama. Both discs are stuffed with bonus features, have a list price of $24.98 and street July 31, with a June 26 prebook.

“It’s about fandom,” Kim said. “People want to collect these titles. That will help hold up the packaged media side, despite recent trends.”

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