MGM Home Entertainment

Infobox Company
name = MGM Home Entertainment

type = Subsidiary Of 20th Century Fox
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foundation = 1973 (as MGM Home Video)
1979 (as MGM/CBS Home Video)
1982 (as MGM/UA Home Video)
1998 (as MGM Home Entertainment)
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location_city = USA
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industry = Home video and DVD distribution arm of MGM
products = Home videos (last VHS release came out in 2005)
laserdiscs (last laserdisc came out in the late 1990s)
DVDs
HD-DVDs (last HD-DVD release came out in 2008)
Blu-ray discs
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parent = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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MGM Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD distribution arm of MGM. It was owned by CBS Video Enterprises from 1979 until 1982. It was owned by MGM from 1973 to 2005. It was owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment from 2005 to 2006. It was currently owned by 20th Century Fox since 2006 after MGM's deal with Sony expired, and continues to release MGM films on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

History

The home video division of MGM started in 1973 as MGM Home Video, releasing all the movies and TV shows by MGM. In 1979, MGM joined forces with CBS Video Enterprises, the home video division of the CBS television network, and established MGM/CBS Home Video

In 1982, a year after MGM bought and merged with the financially bankrupt United Artists, CBS dropped out of the video partnership with MGM and moved to 20th Century Fox. MGM's video division was renamed MGM/UA Home Video soon after.

In 1986, MGM's pre-1986 library (also including the pre-1948 Warner Bros. library and most US rights to the RKO Pictures library), was acquired by Ted Turner and his company Turner Entertainment. After the library was acquired, MGM/UA signed a deal with Turner to continue distributing the pre-1986 MGM and the pre-1948 Warner Bros. libraries for video release (the rest of the library went to Turner Home Entertainment).

In 1997, MGM/UA began releasing its titles on DVD, just like every other major studio. Some of the films MGM released on DVD were from the Turner catalog, which they were still allowed to keep despite the fact that Turner merged into Time Warner some time before. That same year, MGM acquired Orion Pictures. As a result, Orion Home Video (Orion's home video division) was bought out by MGM/UA, and was retained as an in-name-only division until the acquisition deal was finalized in 1998. In 1998, the company was renamed MGM Home Entertainment.

In 1999, MGM lost the home video rights to the MGM/UA films owned by Turner; those films were transferred to Warner Home Video.

In 2005, following MGM's acquisition by the Sony-led consortium, the company was under the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment label but not using the MGM Home Entertainment name on any releases, which has distributed the MGM library, though under the MGM label. The deal ended a year later.

After MGM ended their distribution agreement with Sony, they announced that they would be signing a new distribution deal with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for worldwide release, except for DVD releases of MGM/UA/Columbia TriStar co-releases, which will continue to be distributed by SPHE, since Sony still owns 20% of MGM.

Ironically, Fox had released some post-1986 United Artists films on videocassette during the CBS/Fox Video days.

Distribution

Here is the list of distributors that distributed MGM/CBS Home Video, MGM/UA Home Video and MGM Home Entertainment titles:
*CBS Video (1979-1982)
*Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005-2006)
*20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006-present)

Libraries

Through 20th Century Fox, MGM Home Entertainment releases titles from MGM (post-1986), United Artists, Orion Pictures (which itself includes the Filmways and American International Pictures libraries), pre-1997 Samuel Goldwyn film library, the pre-1996 Motion Picture Corporation of America catalog.

The unit releases some titles by IFC Films, the pre-1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment library, most of the Cannon library, many by Embassy Pictures, the pre-1994 Castle Rock library and Nelson Entertainment, among other companies.

oul Cinema

Soul Cinema is a line of blaxploitation films on video released by MGM. The line launched in fall 2004. Titles include:

*"Hammer" (1972) (UA)
*"Truck Turner" (1975) (AIP)
*"Cooley High" (1975) (AIP)
*"I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988) (UA)
*"Original Gangstas" (1996) (Orion)
*"Foxy Brown"
*"Blacula"
*"Scream, Blacula, Scream"
*"Friday Foster"
*"The Monkey Hustle"
*"Black Caesar"
*"Hell Up in Harlem"
*"J. D.'s Revenge"
*"Slaughter"
*"Slaughter's Big Score"
*"Black Mama, White Mama"
*"Sheba, Baby"
*"Across 110th Street"
*"Coffy"
*"Cotton Comes to Harlem"
*"Bucktown"
*"Cornbread, Earl and Me"
*"Five on the Blackhand Side"Soul Cinema was also a Pay-Per-View option for Comcast back in 2004.

External links

*
* [http://www.soulcinema.com Soul Cinema Official Website]
* [http://www.thelegacy.com Poltergeist: The Legacy Official Website]
* [http://www.thelegacy-ws.com Poltergeist: The Legacy Official Fansite]