RLJE Films

RLJ Entertainment
FormerlyImage Entertainment (1981–2012)
Company typeSubsidiary
Nasdaq: DISK
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1981; 43 years ago (1981)
HeadquartersChatsworth, Los Angeles, California, United States[1]
Key people
  • Miguel Penella (CEO)[2]
  • Drew Wilson (CFO)[3]
  • Bill Bromiley (CAO)
Products
ParentAMC Networks (83% owenership)
the RLJ Companies (17% stake)
Subsidiaries
Websiterljentertainment.com

RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, Image has exclusive audio and broadcast rights as well as digital download rights to approximately 2,100 video programs and over 400 audio programs containing more than 6,000 tracks. The company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California.

History

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Image's final logo (2009–2015)

Founded in 1981 as a NASDAQ-listed public company known as Image Entertainment, Image began as a distributor of LaserDiscs, whose sound and picture quality surpassed that of VHS and Beta, the dominant tape formats of the time. In its earlier years, the company originally distributed X-rated titles in addition to mainstream titles.[4] Image successfully secured exclusive output deals with major studios such as Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox, Orion Pictures, and The Walt Disney Company, and grew to become the dominant distributor of the format. The company was trading under the symbol "DISK".

In August 1994, Image entered the CD-ROM market, releasing movies on the CD-ROM format.[5]

As the 1990s came to a close and Laserdiscs gave way to DVDs, Image re-focused on the fledgling format that quickly came to dominate the home video marketplace. While studios were busy managing the transition from VHS to DVD, Image began to acquire DVD rights to long-form music concert programs, television programming, foreign films and a broad array of special interest programming from GRB Entertainment, 20th Television/Foxstar Productions, Orion Pictures, Playboy Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures, all of which were being ignored by the major studios and music labels.[6]

In 2005, Image signed a distribution deal with Bandai Visual to distribute select anime titles under the Honneamise label.[7] The deal ended in March 2007, when Bandai Visual switched over to Geneon USA.[8]

Image continued to work with its long-term partner, Criterion Collection, as well as hundreds of independent content producers and rights holders to bring products to the marketplace. By the 10th anniversary of the DVD, Image has once again established itself as a dominant distributor of independently produced programs. In 2008, Image began to expand its release schedule to include feature films.

On August 31, 2010, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment partnered with Image Entertainment in a multi-year agreement, marketing and distributing some DVDs and Blu-rays by Image. Image retains its own sales and marketing.[9] The deal was expired in April 2012, when Mill Creek Entertainment agreed to release the most of Sony Pictures libraries. On April 27, 2011, Image Entertainment made a long-term agreement with Lakeshore Entertainment to distribute their film library on home media. This also gave them access to the New World Pictures library which Lakeshore acquired in 1996, with many of the titles not issued on Blu-ray at the time.[10] Incidentally, Image originally released a number of New World titles on laserdisc from the late 80's to early 90's. On April 2, 2012, it was announced that RLJ Acquisition, Inc. had entered into an agreement to acquire Image Entertainment as well as Acorn Media and plan to merge the two companies. The two companies operate under the banner "RLJ Entertainment".[11] The company was then renamed RLJ Entertainment.[12] In 2014, RLJ acquired British media distributor Acorn Media UK, this deal also included 64% in Agatha Christie Limited.[13]

On July 30, 2018, AMC Networks reached a definitive agreement to acquire RLJ Entertainment where AMC would pay $59 million for the remaining RLJE shares not owned by AMC or Robert L. Johnson.[14] The transaction was approved by RLJ Entertainment's stockholders on October 31, and AMC Networks completed the acquisition on November 1.[15] RLJ Entertainment became a privately owned subsidiary of AMC Networks, with Johnson and his affiliates owning a 17% stake.

Selected releases

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Feature films

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2010s

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Title Release date
Every Day January 14, 2011
The Way Back January 21, 2011
Passion Play May 6, 2011
The Double October 28, 2011
Beneath the Darkness January 6, 2012
Lovely Molly May 18, 2012
Home Run Showdown July 27, 2012
Goats August 10, 2012
The Tall Man August 31, 2012
Barrymore November 14, 2012
Day of the Falcon March 1, 2013
Tomorrow You're Gone April 5, 2013
The Numbers Station April 26, 2013
Evidence July 19, 2013
Stranded July 26, 2013
Blood August 9, 2013
Winnie Mandela September 6, 2013
The Colony September 20, 2013
Paradise October 18, 2013
Last Love November 1, 2013
Black Coffee January 10, 2014
The Suspect
The Outsider February 7, 2014
Odd Thomas February 28, 2014
Sparks March 7, 2014
Devil's Knot May 9, 2014
Wolf Creek 2 May 16, 2014
All Cheerleaders Die June 13, 2014
Rage July 11, 2014
Aftermath July 18, 2014
Cabin Fever: Patient Zero August 1, 2014
Drive Hard October 3, 2014
The Houses October Built October 10, 2014
The Rewrite February 13, 2015
Digging Up the Marrow February 20, 2015
The Cobbler March 13, 2015
Blackbird April 24, 2015
Burying the Ex June 19, 2015
Dark Was the Night July 24, 2015
Return to Sender August 14, 2015
Some Kind of Hate September 18, 2015
Pay the Ghost September 25, 2015
A Christmas Horror Story October 2, 2015
Bone Tomahawk October 23, 2015
Condemned November 13, 2015
Criminal Activities November 20, 2015
Nina April 22, 2016
The Phenom June 24, 2016
The Mind's Eye August 5, 2016
Kickboxer: Vengeance September 2, 2016
I.T. September 23, 2016
Dog Eat Dog November 4, 2016
Knucklehead December 6, 2016
Once Upon a Time in Venice June 16, 2017
Pilgrimage August 11, 2017
Ruin Me August 27, 2017
Bushwick August 25, 2017
The Limehouse Golem September 8, 2017
The Houses October Built 2 September 22, 2017
Brawl in Cell Block 99 October 6, 2017
The Osiris Child
Mayhem November 10, 2017
Another WolfCop December 1, 2017
I Kill Giants March 23, 2018
Terminal May 11, 2018
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich August 17, 2018
Arizona August 24, 2018
Mandy September 14, 2018
Beyond the Sky September 21, 2018
Ride October 5, 2018
Galveston October 19, 2018
Monster Party November 2, 2018
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek January 18, 2019
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot February 8, 2019
Plus One June 14, 2019
Into the Ashes July 19, 2019
A Score to Settle August 2, 2019
Gwen August 16, 2019
Satanic Panic September 6, 2019
Mary October 11, 2019
Trick October 18, 2019
Adopt a Highway November 1, 2019
The Shed November 15, 2019

2020s

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Title Release date
Color Out of Space January 24, 2020
VFW February 14, 2020
The Postcard Killings March 13, 2020
You Don't Nomi June 9, 2020
The Tax Collector August 7, 2020
Spree August 14, 2020
The Pale Door August 21, 2020
The Owners September 4, 2020
The Superdeep September 4, 2020
2067 October 2, 2020
The Opening Act October 16, 2020
The Dark and the Wicked November 6, 2020
Always and Forever November 20, 2020
Castle Freak December 4, 2020
Archenemy December 11, 2020
PG: Psycho Goreman January 22, 2021
The Reckoning February 5, 2021
Son March 5, 2021
Shoplifters of the World March 26, 2021
The Water Man May 7, 2021
Seance May 21, 2021
Great White July 16, 2021
No Man of God August 27, 2021
Prisoners of the Ghostland September 17, 2021[16]
South of Heaven October 8, 2021
The Spine of Night October 29, 2021
Apex November 12, 2021
Silent Night December 3, 2021
Last Looks February 4, 2022
Creation Stories February 25, 2022
Offseason March 11, 2022
Dual April 15, 2022
The Cellar
The Twin May 6, 2022
White Elephant June 3, 2022[17]
Murder At Yellowstone City June 24, 2022
The Reef: Stalked July 29, 2022[18]
Allegoria August 1, 2022
Section Eight September 23, 2022[19]
Old Man October 14, 2022
Slash/Back October 21, 2022
The Lair October 28, 2022
Nocebo November 4, 2022
The Friendship Game November 11, 2022
Taurus November 18, 2022
Christmas with the Campbells December 2, 2022
Christmas Bloody Christmas December 9, 2022
The Apology December 16, 2022
Kids vs. Aliens January 20, 2023
Sympathy for the Devil July 28, 2023[20]
The Dive August 25, 2023
Suitable Flesh October 27, 2023[21]
It's a Wonderful Knife November 10, 2023[22]
No Way Up February 16, 2024 (USA/Canada/International distribution only through Warner Bros. Pictures)[23]
Arcadian April 12, 2024[24]

Other releases

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Sony Pictures/20th Television releases

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Special interest

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Television series

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Stand-up comedy

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Music programs

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Notes

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  1. ^ Image-entertainment.com
  2. ^ RLJ Entertainment (January 18, 2013). "RLJ Entertainment Appoints Miguel Penella CEO" (press release). Business Wire. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  3. ^ RLJ Entertainment (May 28, 2013). "RLJ Entertainment Appoints Drew Wilson Chief Financial Officer" (press release). Business Wire. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  4. ^ Meyer, E. Brad (May 29, 1984). "More than meets the eye". The Boston Phoenix. pp. 6, 26. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Leovy, Jill (August 2, 1994). "On a Silver Platter : Image Entertainment To Market Films On CD-ROMs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Brass, Kevin (April 9, 1998). "Company Is the Very Image of Flexibility". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "Bandai Visual – Image Entertainment Announcement". Anime News Network. 2005-12-06. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  8. ^ "Bandai Visual USA New Licenses and Distribution Deal". Anime News Network. 2007-03-05. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  9. ^ "BusinessWire" Image Entertainment Partners with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment businesswire.com, Retrieved on January 9, 2013
  10. ^ "Image Entertainment Inks Long-Term Deal with Lakeshore Entertainment Covering Home Video, VOD and Digital". Business Wire. April 27, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  11. ^ "Site News – Press Release: RLJ Acquisition Buys Image Ent. and Acorn Media; Merge Both Into 'RLJ Entertainment'". Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  12. ^ Vlessing, Etan (February 26, 2018). "AMC Networks to Acquire Robert Johnson's RLJ Entertainment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  13. ^ "RLJ Entertainment". RLJ Entertainment. 2020. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  14. ^ "AMC Networks Inc. To Acquire RLJ Entertainment, Inc". AMC Networks. July 30, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  15. ^ "AMC Networks Inc. Completes Acquisition Of RLJ Entertainment, Inc". AMC Networks. November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  16. ^ Miska, Brad (August 4, 2021). "'Prisoners of the Ghostland': Nicolas Cage Takes on Ghosts, Samurais and Ninjas September 17th, from RLJE Films!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  17. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (May 16, 2022). "White Elephant: Exclusive Trailer and Poster Debut for Michael Rooker-Bruce Willis Mob Movie". IGN. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  18. ^ Nash, Anthony (May 10, 2022). "RLJE Films Acquires The Reef: Stalked, Sets Release Date". Coming Soon. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  19. ^ Lang, Brent (July 12, 2022). "'Section 8,' Action Film With Ryan Kwanten and Dolph Lundgren, Sells to AMC+ and RLJE Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Reul, Katie (2023-03-16). "Nicolas Cage's Sympathy for the Devil Acquired by RLJE Films". Variety. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  21. ^ Wampler, Scott (September 19, 2023). "Behold: The Red-Band Trailer For Joe Lynch's SUitable Flesh". Fangoria. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  22. ^ Grobar, Matt (September 26, 2023). "Holiday Horror 'It's A Wonderful Knife' Starring Jane Widdop, Joel McHale & Justin Long Acquired By RLJE Films & Shudder Ahead Of Beyond Fest Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  23. ^ Squires, John (2024-02-16). "No Way Up Exclusive Clip – Shark Attacks in New Horror Movie Available in Theaters and at Home". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  24. ^ Grobar, Matt (February 16, 2024). "Nicolas Cage Survival Thriller 'Arcadian' Acquired By RLJE Films Ahead Of SXSW Bow". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  25. ^ DiVincenzo, Alex (May 30, 2011). "First image from Adam Green's Chillerama segment The Diary of Anne Frankenstein". JoBlo.com. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  26. ^ Watchimage.com
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