press release

For Immediate Release

SAME PLANET, NEW SCUM...

MEN IN BLACK II

IS BLASTING TO SPECIAL EDITION DVD AND VHS ON
NOVEMBER 26, 2002

Culver City, Calif., August 26, 2002 - On November 26, Men In Blackä II will take the universe by storm as Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (CTHE) launches the intergalactic blockbuster box office hit in its planetary debut on Special Edition DVD and videocassette. The smash hit neuralized the box office competition, earning $90 million its first five days, blowing away Fourth of July weekend all-time records, including the record held by the original Men In Black (1997). The film has earned over $190 million domestically to date, helping to propel Sony's Columbia Pictures to the brink of a moneymaking record, exceeding $1 billion in ticket sales by mid-July, the fastest any studio has reached that mark.

Taking being hip and cool to new heights - Men In Black II makes a big bang landing on Special Edition DVD and VHS, equipped with an armory of cool stuff, setting new standards for hipness. Audiences will learn the secrets of the MIB clandestine alien activity monitoring organization through exploration of the exciting DVD footage on the Men In Black II two-disc Special Edition DVD (available in both wide and full screen versions), which includes a never-before-seen alternate ending and intergalactic alien featurettes.

Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe yet again, Men In Black II stars Academy AwardÒ winner Tommy Lee Jones (Space Cowboys, Rules of Engagement), Academy AwardÒ nominated Will Smith (Ali, Independence Day) and Lara Flynn Boyle (Happiness, Afterglow, "The Practice"), and also features Frank the Pug and other out-of-this-world alien creatures who return to save the earth. The film is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Wild Wild West, Men In Black, Get Shorty) and produced by Walter F. Parkes & Laurie MacDonald (Gladiator, The Mask of Zorro).

"With Men In Black II as part of our blockbuster lineup of fourth quarter DVD and VHS releases including Spider-Man, Mr. Deeds, Stuart Little 2 and XXX, we are poised to break new home entertainment records," said Benjamin S. Feingold, President, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures' Digital Studios Division. "Men In Black II will be a must-have for the millions of fans that embraced the film and helped it become one of the most successful releases of the year."

OVER $34 MILLION IN MARKETING, PROMOTIONAL AND MEDIA SUPPORT

From November through January 2003, Men In Black II will create more than 5.5 billion human impressions through an aggressive television, radio, print and outdoor advertising campaign. Reaching all television mediums: network ("Friends," "WWF," "Smallville," "The Simpsons"), daytime, early AM, late night ("Saturday Night Live," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The Late Show with David Letterman"), sports (NFL, Monday Night Football and College), syndication ("Friends," "Fraiser," "Seinfeld," "Xena"), kids programming ("Digimon," "Power Rangers," "Pokemon," "Rescue Heroes," "Jackie Chan"), cable (MTV, Comedy Central, FX, VH-1, USA, ESPN, TBS, TNT, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network), there will be no escaping the Men In Black. In addition, the galaxy-friendly film will be occupying space in the Top 35 radio markets in the Urban, Top 40, Contemporary Urban, Alternative Formats; as well as in print (Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, ESPN, VIBE) and outdoor on bulletins, bus kings and in malls.

DVD ADDED VALUE

Loaded with cool value-added 'hardware,' the two-disc Men In Black II DVD set (available in both wide and full screen versions) will unleash upon an unsuspecting world a "new hotness" from which it might take years for popular culture to fully recover.

  • Intergalactic Production Featurettes
  • Alien Creature Featurettes
  • Alien Broadcast
  • Never-Before-Seen Alternate Ending
  • Blooper Reel
  • Commentary: Director Barry Sonnenfeld with optional Telestrator Diagrams
  • Theatrical trailers and one-sheets
  • Filmographies
  • Music Video: Will Smith's "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Your Head)"
  • Multi-Angle Scene Deconstruction
  • DVD-ROM Features: Crossfire: MIBII Interactive Game, Screen Saver, Concept Designs, MIB II Script, Weblinks

MEN IN BLACK II

It's been five years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions, Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) has since returned to the comforts of civilian life while Jay (Will Smith) continues to work for the Men In Black, the highly funded yet unofficial government agency that regulates all things alien on earth.
In Men In Black II, Kay and Jay reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement: Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

DVD WIDESCREEN EDITION (Black Background Packaging)
Street Date: November 26, 2002
Order Date: October 24, 2002
Program Length: 88 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some
provocative humor

Suggested Retail Price: $28.96 SLP / $19.95 MAP
Catalog Number: 07821
UPC: 0-43396-07821-5
ISBN: 0-7678-8207-5
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English and French)
Subtitles: English, French
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1

Bonus Material:

Disc One:

  • Digitally Mastered Audio and Anamorphic Video
  • Director's Commentary with optional Telestrator Diagrams
  • Alien Broadcast
  • Theatrical Trailers
  • Mastered in High Definition
  • Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital) French 5.1 (Dolby Digital)
  • Subtitles: English, French

Disc Two:

  • Never Before Seen Alternate Ending
  • Blooper Reel
  • Intergalactic Production Featurettes
  • Alien Creature Featurettes
  • Music Video: Will Smith's "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Your Head)"
  • Multi-Angle Scene Deconstruction
  • Theatrical One-Sheets
  • Filmographies
  • DVD-ROM Features: Crossfire: MIBII Interactive Game, Screen Saver, Concept Designs, MIBII Script, Weblinks

DVD FULL SCREEN EDITION (White Background Packaging)

Street Date: November 26, 2002
Order Date: October 24, 2002
Suggested Retail Price: $28.96 SRP / $19.95 MAP
Catalog Number: 09432
UPC: 0-43396-09432-1
ISBN: 0-7678-9881-8

DVD TWO-PACK (MEN IN BLACK DELUXE EDITION AND MEN IN BLACK II WIDESCREEN EDITION)

Street Date: November 26, 2002
Order Date: October 24, 2002
Suggested Retail Price: $49.95 SLP
Catalog Number: 10322
UPC: 0-43396-10322-1
ISBN: 1-4049-0800-5

ABOUT COLUMBIA TRISTAR HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. SPE is a division of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries.

Copyright Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment

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