A judge overseeing Redbox owner Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s bankruptcy case granted a request Wednesday to convert it from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to Lowpass’ Janko Roettgers and The Wall Street Journal. The company’s lawyers said Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment will lay off its remaining 1,000 employees and liquidate the businesses, including streaming operations and the 24,000 or so disc kiosks that have rented out DVDs, Blu-rays, and videogames for years.
Redbox’s disc rentals are over
Redbox’s parent company will shut down operations and try to sell off assets like those distinctive disc rental kiosks.
Redbox’s parent company will shut down operations and try to sell off assets like those distinctive disc rental kiosks.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.
According to Roettgers, Judge Thomas Horan said, “There is no means to continue to pay employees, pay any bills, otherwise finance this case. It is hopelessly insolvent... Given the fact that there may also be at least the possibility of misappropriation of funds that were held in trust for employees, there is more than ample reason why this case should be converted.”
In addition to operating Redbox, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment also manages brands like Crackle and Screen Media. (Note that Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a part of Chicken Soup for the Soul LLC; the broader company isn’t a part of this bankruptcy case, according to the WSJ.)
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Roettgers has been covering Redbox and its parent company’s recent troubles for The Verge, including a missed multimillion-dollar payment owed to NBCUniversal, the original bankruptcy filing, and Chicken Soup failing to make payroll for Redbox employees.
Update, July 11th: Added Threads post from Roettgers.
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