Asmik Ace Entertainment, the film production and distribution arm of Japan's Kadokawa Publishing media group, will release of total of 63 Kadokawa films on DVD starting this August. Titles will range from the 1976 hit The Inugami Family to the 1997 box office smash Lost Paradise.

With Kadokawa's belated entry into the DVD market, all the major Japanese domestic film producers have now announced plans to release films in the format. Asmik Ace's first DVD release, on August 1, will be the 1998 hit horror films Ring 2 and Shikoku. By the end of year, the company plans to have 17 DVD titles on the shelves, including such hits as Proof Of The Man (1977), The Golden Wolf Returns (1979), Sailor Suit and Machinegun (1981), and Jubaku (1999). Each release, with a unit price of Y4,700 ($44.34), will offer scenes cut from the theatrical release and other extras.

In addition to domestic titles from its library, Asmik Ace will release foreign films on DVD, including New Cinema Paradise and Scream 2. Altogether the company plans to introduce five to eight new DVD titles a month for the sell-through market, none of which will be sold to rental shops.