From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: Open Road Films And Universal Studios Home Entertainment Renew Marketing And Distribution Pact

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Road Films and Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE) have renewed their agreement in which Universal handles all marketing, sales and distribution services for Blu-ray, DVD, Electronic Sell-Through and VOD platforms of Open Road Films' theatrical titles through 2017.  The announcement was made today jointly by Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films, and Craig Kornblau, President of USHE.

Among many other Open Road Films titles, USHE will release the current hit family film The Nut Job, which opened on January 17, 2014, taking in over $25.7 million at the holiday weekend box-office as the biggest independent animated film opening of all time. Upcoming 2014 titles from Open Road Films that will be handled under the deal with USHE include Sabotage (opening 3/28/14) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Manganiello, Sam Worthington, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Max Martini, Josh Holloway, Olivia Williams, and Mireille Enos; A Haunted House 2 (opening 4/18/14) starring Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly, Gabriel Iglesias, Affion Crockett and Cedric The Entertainer; Chef (opening 5/9/14) written by, directed by and starring Jon Favreau along with Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr.; and Eli Roth's The Green Inferno (opening 9/5/14).

"Universal has been a valuable partner in every way as we have grown Open Road Films," commented Ortenberg.  "Craig, USHE marketing head Hilary Hoffman and their entire team have been an asset to our business and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to work with them."

Added Kornblau, "In a very short time, Tom and his team have developed Open Road Films into a premier film distribution concern, They have a proven track record in assembling compelling and promising movie slates as evidenced with such releases as The Grey, A Haunted House and most recently, The Nut Job. We are thrilled to extend our current home entertainment partnership with this talented group and look forward to the next chapter of our collaboration."

About OPEN ROAD FILMS 
Open Road Films is a dynamic, acquisition-based domestic theatrical distribution and marketing company which annually releases a diverse slate of star-driven motion pictures which has included multiple #1 releases.  It was founded in 2011 by AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) and Regal Entertainment Group (Regal), the two largest theatrical exhibition companies in the United States. Open Road and its lenders recently extended the company's $100,000,000 credit facility through 2018.  

Past releases include:  The Nut Job, which opened to over $25 million at the box office as the highest ever opening for an independent animated film, TheGrey starring Liam Neeson which opened to #1 at the box office; End Of Watch starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña which opened #1 at the box office; A Haunted House starring Marlon Wayans; Side Effects directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law, CatherineZeta-Jones and Channing Tatum; The Host, based on Twilight saga author Stephenie Meyer's best-selling book; and Homefront, starring Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder and Kate Bosworth. 

Upcoming releases include:  Sabotage (3/28/14) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Manganiello, Sam Worthington, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Max Martini, Josh Holloway, Olivia Williams, and Mireille Enos; A Haunted House 2 (4/18/14) starring Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly, Gabriel Iglesias, Affion Crockett and Cedric The Entertainer; Chef (5/9/14) written by, directed by and starring Jon Favreau along with Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr.; and Eli Roth's The Green Inferno (9/5/14).

About UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

SOURCE Universal Studios Home Entertainment