Both companies sold budget items, including reissues of previously released home video programming, at discount prices.

In August 1991, Video Treasures acquired MNTEX Entertainment, a Prior Lake, Minnesota-based discount VHS distributor.

It also released Halloween (as well as its 4th, and 5th sequels), Hellraiser, and many others, leading the home video market for obscure and retro horror films.

[6][7][8] On February 4, 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil charges against two former employees of Anchor Bay Entertainment, formerly owned by Handleman.

The transactions involved the purported sale of slow-moving or obsolete inventory to business partners coupled with secret buy-back provisions.

A month later, it was announced on June 19, 2007, that Starz Home Entertainment would begin releasing high-definition versions of its films exclusively in the Blu-ray format.

On June 30, 2016, Lionsgate agreed to acquire Anchor Bay's parent company Starz Inc. for $4.4 billion in cash and stock.

Zambeck and Katz plan to revive Anchor Bay; the new company will specialize in "genre films, undiscovered treasures, cult classics, and remastered catalog releases".

During its original incarnation in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Anchor Bay specialized in the release of horror and cult films, particularly those of the 1970s and 1980s.

Some of these were given numbered limited edition releases which included multiple discs, information booklets and collectible tin cases.

Anchor Bay is also noted for the release of the Evil Dead film trilogy on DVD, in numerous editions.

Until Anchor Bay released The Evil Dead on VHS and DVD, it was previously unavailable on video from a major label.

In addition to feature films, Anchor Bay distributed special interest titles, including children's series, such as Bobby's World and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Anchor Bay Entertainment received a Special Achievement Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in June 2002.

Cited as highlights of Anchor Bay's releases were "the films of Hammer Studios, the works of Werner Herzog, Paul Verhoeven, Wim Wenders, John Woo, Monte Hellman and Sam Raimi".