Nu Image Establishes Video Distribution Division For U.k. Rental Market

LONDON‹Showing faith in the resurgent British market, Los Angeles-based independent Nu Image Inc. has formed a U.K. video distribution arm to release rental titles starting in February. Sell-through plans aren't known.
Nu Image, which has a co-production deal with Disney-owned Miramax through Nu Image's Millennium Films subsidiary, plans to deliver about 24 movies in 1999. Sony will handle distribution.
The move witnesses the return of industry veteran Barry Lester as Nu Image's managing director. Lester was video rental sales manager for U.K. theatrical and video distributor First Independent, which closed recently. Parent United News & Media cited the poor theatrical performance of such movies as "G.I. Jane," starring Demi Moore, despite its subsequent success on video.
Nu Image U.K. will handle a varied slate of titles, from low- to medium-budget action movies, such as "Scar" (Stephen Baldwin and Chazz Palminteri), "Sweepers" (Dolph Lundgren), and "Operation Delta Force" (Jeff Fahey), to higher-profile features from Millennium, such as "Wildside" (Christopher Walken and Anne Heche), "Lesser Prophets" (Scott Glenn and John Turturro), "The Fourth Floor" (William Hurt and Juliette Lewis), and "Shadrach" (Harvey Keitel).
Avi Lerner, president of Nu Image, says that the decision to establish a label reflects the importance of the U.K. and that "despite the development in delivery methods such as pay-per-view, we expect to mirror the U.S.A., where theatrical and video revenues have showed no signs of diminishing, despite the plethora of competing media."
Lerner also points to Nu Image's growing production slate. "With over $250 million invested in production to date and a further $50 million earmarked for the next fiscal year, our track record allows us the confidence in our ability as a company to provide the worldwide marketplace with the best performing product."
Adds Lester, "There will always be a place in the U.K. market for star-laden, strong commercial product, and we have every confidence that our proposed lineup will figure highly on the buying requirements of U.K. dealers."