Mill Creek Entertainment Acquires Ultraman License For North America

MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES THE ULTRAMAN LIBRARY FOR PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
Over 1100 episodes and 20 films spanning 50 years of Tsuburaya Productions’ global franchise are included in this landmark licensing deal!
Press release
Minneapolis, MN (July 10, 2019) Mill Creek Entertainment and Indigo Entertainment (United Kingdom) are pleased to announce the license of the Ultraman superhero library from Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd for North American home entertainment distribution.  Indigo, on behalf of Tsuburaya, has developed a unique licensing deal with Mill Creek to bring this iconic property back to North America that includes both physical and digital distribution rights for the Ultraman catalog which includes classic TV series which have been newly remastered in high definition, recent theatrical feature films and almost everything produced throughout the last 50 years.

Mill Creek Entertainment’s debut releases from this deal will be limited edition SteelBook® complete series releases of ULTRA Q and ULTRAMAN on Blu-ray on October 15, 2019 for $49.98 each.  Complete series Blu-ray releases in standard packaging will also be made available at the same time for $39.98 each.  

Each release will contain stunning high definition video with DTS-HD Master Audio of the original Japanese soundtrack with English subtitles. Digital redemption will also be available via Mill Creek Entertainment’s streaming service, movieSPREE. You can now watch a free 10-minute SPREEview of the first episodes of Ultra Q and Ultraman here:  https://www.moviespree.com/ultraman

“These first two series are what kicked off the worldwide phenomenon of Ultraman,” says Jeff Hayne, VP of Content Acquisitions for Mill Creek.  “Ultraman’s success paved the way for other popular tokusatsu franchises including Kamen Rider and Super Sentai which influenced the spawning of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.”

“We are excited to bring the Ultraman catalog to North American audiences through a multi-faceted release model spanning Blu-ray and DVD plus various TVOD, SVOD and AVOD digital outlets,” states Barrett Evans, VP of Marketing for Mill Creek. “In tandem with the classic series, we will also be releasing the more recent series and films to appease fans of both classic and modern Ultraman.”

“Ultraman is a revolution in television history - a landmark property and record-breaking global phenomenon. The original series heralded a new age of quality adventure and special effects for children’s entertainment.  Now, through Indigo’s unique relationship with Tsuburaya, we are delighted to be partnering with Mill Creek Entertainment in repositioning the legendary Ultraman for both new and old audiences alike,” says David Lawley, MD of Indigo Entertainment.

“We are very excited about this partnership and the opportunity to reintroduce the Ultraman series, with over 50 years of history, to the people of North America. We hope that we shall rekindle memories of the fans that enjoyed the series in the 70s and 80s and at the same time nurture a new fan base for the younger generation,” says Kei Minamitani, General Manager International Business of Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd.

The original series ULTRA Q was one of the most expensive television series ever produced in Japan and a raging success.  Originally airing in 1966, it spawned a revolution in “Ultra” content that has seen series after series, movies and merchandising created; and originated a landmark global phenomenon.

The classic ULTRAMAN live television series of the 1960s and 70s, produced by Tsuburaya Productions, established new heights of quality adventure and special effects-driven entertainment and built a worldwide audience for the property. Hailing from the distant Nebula M78, Ultraman is a sleek silvery being who protects Earth and the human race from an endless array of invading aliens and terrifying monsters together with the crew of the Earth-based defense force using advanced high-tech weapons and vehicles. Ultraman battles monsters that cause endless mayhem and destruction on Earth. With the ability to extend his height to over 150 feet, Ultraman melds with a human and only emerges in times of extreme danger to save people and the Earth. The popularity of Ultraman—and the aliens and monsters-- has enabled the series to persist to this day, generating over $50 million per year in toys and merchandise in Japan.

Mill Creek Entertainment has established itself as the leading independent home entertainment studio in North America. From special edition Complete TV Series releases including The Shield, Married…With Children, and Roseanne, to special edition SteelBook® release of Mothra and an entire lineup of Retro VHS-style movies on Blu-ray, Mill Creek’s extensive catalog contains both mainstream and cult entertainment offerings that have exceeded performance expectations at retail despite the declining packaged media industry reports. 

About Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is the home entertainment industry’s leading independent studio for Blu-ray, DVD, and digital distribution. With direct sales pipelines to all primary retail and online partners, Mill Creek Entertainment licenses, produces, markets and distributes a dynamic array of film and television content to over 30,000 retail stores and thousands of websites reaching millions of customers across North America. Mill Creek Entertainment’s expansive library includes Oscar®-winning theatrical feature films, Emmy®-winning classic and current TV series, original documentary productions and pop-culture favorites that enlighten, educate and entertain. Mill Creek Entertainment also owns and operates movieSPREE, an on-demand transactional streaming service offering movie bundles, complete TV series and premium entertainment options with apps available on Roku, AppleTV, iOS, Amazon Fire TV, Android and iOS. Mill Creek Entertainment is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more information, please visit www.millcreekent.com or www.movieSPREE.com, (order links at bottom).

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Ultra Q - The Complete Series - SteelBook Edition Blu-ray
The classic series that launched the Ultraman franchise!

After co-creating the iconic movie monsters Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra for Toho Studios, special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya launched his own company, Tsuburaya Productions. The first production under his new label was ULTRA Q, a 28-episode series that brought the theatrical spectacle Tsuburaya had become known for to television. The black & white sci-fi drama focused on Mainichi Shimpo photojournalist Yuriko Edogawa (Hiroko Sakurai, Ultraman), Hoshikawa Airlines pilot/SF writer Jun Manjome (Kenji Sahara) and his co-pilot Ippei Togawa (Yasuhiko Saijo), who partnered to investigate mysterious events occurring in and around Japan. These phenomena often involved aliens and giant monsters, many of whom would return in future Ultraman shows and movies.

One of the most expensive TV programs produced in Japan up to that time, ULTRA Q was a ratings smash that paved the way for Tsuburaya Productions' first color series... ULTRAMAN!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Complete, original Japanese broadcast edits - fully remastered and restored in HD
• Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio
• 28-page collectible booklet
• Digital Redemption on movieSPREE!

Product details:

• Actors: Kenji Sahara, Hiroko Sakurai, Yasuhiko Saijo
• Directors: Hajime Tsuburaya, Koji Kajita, Samaji Nonagase, Harunosuke Nakagawa, Toshihiro Iijima
• Format: Full Screen
• Language: Japanese
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Number of discs: 4
• Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 15, 2019
• Run Time: 716 minutes
• Price: $49.98 (Steelbook), $39.98 (regular version)

​Preview here.

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Ultraman - The Complete Series - SteelBook Edition
ULTRAMAN, a giant alien from the Land of Light in Nebula M78, enters Earth's atmosphere in pursuit of an escaped space monster. In the skies above Japan he accidentally crashes into a Jet VTOL piloted by Hayata, a member of the Science Special Search Party (SSSP), an international research and defense agency that protects the world from monsters and aliens of all shapes and sizes. To save Hayata, Ultraman merges his life force with the dying human and vows to stay and fight for peace on Earth. Now, whenever the Patrol faces a threat too great for them to handle, Hayata transforms into Ultraman to save the day!

ULTRAMAN was Tsuburaya Productions' first color series, a sci-fi action adventure drama that dominated the ratings during its initial 1966-67 broadcast run in Japan. The show was quickly licensed for release in America, airing in syndication for nearly two decades. Colorful, fast-paced, and packed with memorable heroes, creatures and incredible special effects, ULTRAMAN was the foundation for a phenomena that continues to this day.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Complete, original Japanese broadcast edits - fully remastered and restored in HD
• Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio
• 28-page collectible booklet
• Digital Redemption on movieSPREE!

Product details

• Actors: Akiji Kobayashi, Susumu Kurobe, Masanari Nihei
• Directors: Hajime Tsuburaya, Koji Kajita, Samaji Nonagase, Harunosuke Nakagawa, Toshihiro Iijima
• Format: Full Screen
• Language: Japanese
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Number of discs: 6
• Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 15, 2019
• Run Time: 988 minutes
• Price: $49.98 (Steelbook), $39.98 (regular version)

​Preview here.