According to Superhero Hype, “Lions Gate Entertainment said Monday that it agreed to acquire Artisan Entertainment, a private independent film producer and distributor, for $160 million cash, plus the assumption of debt. The proposed acquisition will create a company with more than 8,000 entertainment titles, the companies said.” Included in the 8,000 entertainment titles are such popular items as the Barbie, Clifford, and Christmas Classics videos, in addition to Big Idea’s Jonah: A Veggietales Movie.

It had been speculated that Miramax and Marvel were also once considering buying Artisan.