Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) company, announced today the acquisition of all North American rights to the action thriller The Locksmith from Arclight Films. Directed by Nicolas Harvard and starring Ryan Phillippe (Crash, Cruel Intentions), Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns, 21), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, Mission: Impossible), the film is produced by Mark David and Roger Goff, coproduced by Brandon David and Gordon Rausser and executive produced by Daniel Cummings, Walter Josten, Chris LaMont, Joe Russo & Caleb Wilson. Nicolas Harvard, a veteran first assistant director, on award winning films including Hell or High Water and Whiplash, will be making his feature film debut with The Locksmith. The screenplay is written by John Glosser, Joe Russo and Chris LaMont, and Ben Kabialis, based on an original story by Blair Kroeber.  Screen Media is planning a day-and-date, theatrical and on demand release later this year.

Miller (Ryan Phillippe), an ex-con recently released from prison for a bungled robbery, tries to walk a straight line and work his way back into the lives of his ex, Beth (Kate Bosworth), a police detective, and their young daughter.  While Miller is doing his best to stay on the straight and narrow with the help of an old friend (Ving Rhames), he finds his past will not stay in the past, and he is forced to commit one last crime before he can truly walk away. Things once again go badly, and now not only his freedom, but also his daughter’s life, hang in the balance.

“It’s a real honor to have Screen Media get behind this film as a theatrical release,” said director Nicolas Harvard. “Having them as partners from the get-go gave us the confidence to compose our shots and scenes for a big screen audience. It’s exciting to know that people are going back to the multiplexes in droves. This film will not disappoint.” 

“Director Nicolas Harvard has crafted a clever crime thriller that delivers what audiences want from a heist film and then goes above and beyond expectations,” said Screen Media in a statement. “Ryan Phillippe, Ving Rhames, and Kate Bosworth lead the film to surprising new heights, and we’re certain viewers will be locked in from the very beginning."

“We are thrilled to have the top-notch team at Screen Media come on board to distribute The Locksmith. They are the perfect partner to introduce this fantastic thriller to audiences in the U.S.,” added Arclight Films chairman Gary Hamilton. 

The deal was negotiated by Seth Needle, executive vice president of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions, on behalf of Screen Media with Lina Marrone, executive vice president of International Sales at Arclight Films, who is handling worldwide distribution rights to The Locksmith.

Screen Media recently acquired the psychological thriller Cordelia starring Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Johnny Flynn, The Good Neighbor starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the psychological horror film Monstrous starring Christina Ricci, the thriller The Immaculate Room starring Emile Hirsch and Kate Bosworth and Kevin Lewis’ follow up to Willy’s Wonderland, The Accursedstarring Mena Suvari. They will release Gigi Gaston’s 9 Bullets starring Lena Headey and Sam Worthington later this month.

ABOUT SCREEN MEDIA VENTURES, LLC 

Screen Media Ventures, LLC, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) company, acquires the rights to high quality, independent television series and feature films. Screen Media Ventures acquires worldwide rights for distribution through theatrical, home video, pay-per-view, free, cable and pay television, video-on-demand, and new digital media platforms. The company acquires AVOD rights for third party networks and is the main supplier of content for Crackle Plus and other Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment properties. With a library of over 1,500 television series and motion pictures, Screen Media Ventures is one of the largest independent suppliers of high-quality tv series and motion pictures to U.S. and international broadcast markets, cable networks, home video outlets and new media venues. For more information, visit: www.screenmedia.net.

ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) (the “Company”) operates video-on-demand (VOD) streaming services. The Company owns Crackle Plus, which owns and operates a variety of ad- supported VOD streaming services including Crackle, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. The Company also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media and 1091 Pictures subsidiaries and produces original video content through the Chicken Soup for the Soul Television Group. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of management and are not predictions of actual performance. Such assumptions involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to our core strategy, operating income and margin, seasonality, liquidity, including cash flows from operations, available funds, and access to financing sources, free cash flows, revenues, net income, profitability, stock price volatility, future regulatory changes, price changes, the ability of the Company’s content offerings to achieve market acceptance, the Company’s success in retaining or recruiting officers, key employees, or directors, the ability to protect intellectual property, the ability to complete strategic acquisitions, the ability to manage growth and integrate acquired operations, the ability to pay dividends, regulatory or operational risks, and general market conditions impacting demand for the Company’s services. For a more complete description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please refer the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2022, and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2022. On May 10, 2022, the Company entered into a merger agreement to acquire Redbox Entertainment, Inc. We refer you to the presentation filed as Exhibit 99.2 under cover of a Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the SEC on May 22, 2022 for information regarding the proposed business acquisition transaction. If the proposed business acquisition is consummated, in addition to the risks noted above, we also face the risks detailed in Redbox’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.