The first IFC title released under the deal was Jeff Garlin's I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, which streeted last month. Upcoming IFC titles bowing under the Blockbuster agreement are Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park and Julianne Moore-starring Savage Grace. Others included in the initial batch are Hannah Takes the Stairs directed by Joe Swanberg and Dans Paris directed by Christophe Honore. Exact street dates haven’t been specified. Some films are still premiering in theaters, including the March 7 bow of Paranoid Park.

As IFC is distributed by Genius Products, the deal essentially represents an extension of the similar deal between TWC and Blockbuster.

In that Genius/TWC/Blockbuster alliance struck last year, TWC aimed to solely have its titles rented at the chain, for splashy promotion in return. But because TWC widely offered its titles via Genius for sell-through, the effectiveness of its Blockbuster plans was deemed questionable. Many rival rentailers, including Netflix, are able to purchase copies for quick turnaround rental to customers, often on the title’s exact street date.

TWC distributor Genius Products did try to enforce Blockbuster’s rental exclusivity with on-disc warnings that tried to dissuade consumers from renting titles at rival outlets. A consortium of indie rentailers, including the National Entertainment Buyers Group, even attempted to sue TWC and Genius over such tactics, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Blockbuster film product director Keith Leopard said, “This agreement with IFC is a great opportunity for Blockbuster to provide our customers with convenient access to the best of independent film. Whether it’s through our stores, through the mail or through digital downloading, our customers will have access to some of the most exciting, thought-provoking films the indie filmmaking world has to offer. We look forward to working with IFC to dramatically expand our selection of independent titles and to being the exclusive rental outlet for films that otherwise might not have gotten exposure to such a broad audience.”