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Tag: Lionsgate

  • Lionsgate and OddLot sign a pact

    Lionsgate and OddLot sign a pact

    MUMBAI: The two giants will be coming together for a multi-film deal commencing with Johny Depp starrer Mortdecai. The other movie the two are working on is Draft Day.

     

    The deal is to co-finance and distribute the films.

     

    OddLot has emerged as one of the most influential financing and production companies and currently has Rosewater in the bag that is Jon Stewart’s directorial debut.

     

    The deal was negotiated by Sean Kisker, David Friedman and Jean Chi from Lionsgate and Bill Lischak, Michael Nathanson, Aaron Michiel and Natalya Petrosova from OddLot.
    Mortdecai is set to begin its production end of the year while Draft Day is still under process.

  • Johnny Depp in talks to star in ‘Mortdecai’

    Johnny Depp in talks to star in ‘Mortdecai’

    MUMBAI: Johnny Depp is in negotiations to star in Mortdecai, Lionsgate‘sadaptation of The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery by Kyril Bonfiglioli.

    David Koepp will helm the project and Eric Aronson will be scripting it.

    Depp will also produce the movie with his Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowskias well as Andrew Lazar.

    Until earlier this year, the project was based at Warner Bros but the studio quietly put it into turnaround. 

    Depp will star as Charles Mortdecai, a debonair art dealer and part-time rogue who, according to the studio, “must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.” He also has to juggle angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist.

  • TV Everywhere increases the value of Pay TV: Epix Survey

    TV Everywhere increases the value of Pay TV: Epix Survey

    MUMBAI: US TV network Epix which is a JV between Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate has announced key findings of a survey, conducted by global consumer research firm Hub Entertainment.

    This show that consumers who view content on multiple platforms and devices attach much more value to service from their pay TV provider than those who watch on a TV set only. Epix made this announcement at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) 2013 Cable Show in Washington, DC.

    The survey found that the value that subscribers attribute to their pay TV service increases as the number of devices used to watch programming grows. Pay TV subscribers‘ value ratings increase by up to 83 per cent for viewers who access programming on multiple devices compared to those who watch on TV only. Among pay TV subscribers who view content on a TV plus three additional devices, 71 per cent feel pay TV is an “excellent/good” value; the percentage increases to 88 per cent among pay TV subscribers viewing on TV and four other devices, a true testament to the strength of multiplatform viewing.

    Among subscribers who view content on a TV only, 48 per cent believe that they are getting an “excellent/good” value from their pay TV subscription.

    The findings also indicate that multiplatform viewing enhances the value that subscribers attribute to Epix. Epix subscribers‘ satisfaction increases by over 50 per cent among multiple platform and device viewers compared with those who watch only on TV. While 62 per cent of Epix subscribers watching only on television are satisfied with the service, 80 per cent of Epix subscribers who view the network via two or three devices are satisfied. Importantly, the highest levels of satisfaction come from Epix subscribers who access the network‘s content on four or more devices, with an impressive 94 per cent satisfied with their Epix subscription.

    The value of watching Epix on devices benefits pay TV providers as well. Over 80 per cent of Epix subscribers who view on game consoles or media players say that having that capability makes their pay TV subscription more valuable than it would otherwise be.

    Epix chief of staff Nora Ryan said, “The results of this study illustrate the high value consumers are placing on multiplatform viewing and underscores the importance of delivering superior content along with the ability to make it available to consumers at their convenience on any platform. As the entertainment viewing experience evolves, consumers are making new choices about how they want to consume content and forming new habits that include the desire to watch movies and TV shows anytime, anywhere and on multiple platforms. Flexibility is really important in the delivery and packaging of programming services and those distributors who recognise this will be able to increase the satisfaction levels of their customers. We remain committed to working closely with our operating partners to provide our authenticated subscribers access to the best content and extra features in all the ways they want it.

  • Lionsgate likely to sell 50% of TV Guide Network to CBS

    Lionsgate likely to sell 50% of TV Guide Network to CBS

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster CBS is said to be looking to acquire a 50 per cent stake in TV Guide Network.

    The company is currently co-owned by Lions Gate Entertainment and One Equity Partners.

    The likely price is around $100 million, according to media reports.

    TV Guide Network will probably re-brand and move from just being seen as a listing source.

  • Lionsgate in deal with M-Go

    Lionsgate in deal with M-Go

    MUMBAI: US digital entertainment service M-Go, which is a JV between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor and entertainment company Lionsgate, are partnering to bring Lionsgate‘s movies and TV shows, including ‘The Hunger Games‘ and ‘Twilight‘ film franchises, ‘Tyler Perry‘s Madea‘ films and the TV series ‘Mad Men‘, to M-Go customers for purchase or rental.

    M-Go has already secured direct content deals with many of Hollywood‘s studios and now adds Lionsgate. M-Go adds that this partnership further boosts its library of the newest releases of movies and TV shows. The two companies will also explore new content delivery models as part of their shared commitment to best serve their consumers. To kick off the partnership, M-Go will offer the ‘Mad Men‘ series catalogue so that people can discover the show for the first time.

    Fans can also catch up on missed episodes. Lionsgate president of worldwide television, digital distribution Jim Packer said, “M-Go is exactly the kind of entrepreneurial partner with whom we like to be in business, and our partnership underscores the growing spectrum of digital and traditional platforms available for monetising our content.

    “We‘re pleased to give M-GO access to our full range of content because they share our commitment to being at the forefront of home entertainment initiatives designed to meet the changing needs of our consumers.”

    M-Go CEO John Batter said, “Getting Lionsgate content was a top priority for M-Go. Being the ‘people-friendliest‘ digital entertainment service means never resting until we have secured the entertainment people want most at their fingertips such as their hot content like ‘Nashville‘, ‘Anger Management‘ and ‘The Impossible‘.

    “We look forward to working with Lionsgate to lead the industry by pioneering new ways to maximize the benefits of digital by providing amazing entertainment instantly and earlier than ever before for consumers in the US.”

    M-GO is available for at home or on the go viewing on platforms and functions on operating systems ranging from Android to iOS to Windows. M-GO will be pre-loaded on LG Electronics Smart TVs, Samsung‘s Smart TV‘s, Blu-ray players and Wi-Fi tablets, Vizio‘s Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, Wi-Fi tablets and digital media players, and Intel® Ultrabook devices.

  • Lionsgate, American Greetings Properties expand home entertainment distribution deal

    Lionsgate, American Greetings Properties expand home entertainment distribution deal

    MUMBAI: Global diversified entertainment company Lionsgate and American Greetings Properties (AGP), the intellectual property and outbound licensing division of American Greetings, have announced a home entertainment distribution agreement for the new CGI Animated TV series ‘Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot‘.

    The agreement gives Lionsgate packaged and digital rights in both the US and UK to all 26 episodes of the series, which debuted on The Hub last year. In addition, the two companies are extending their existing contract, with Lionsgate retaining its rights to the two previous ‘Care Bears’ television series and five ‘Care Bears’ movies.

    Under the new agreement, Lionsgate will also distribute three additional American Greetings properties in the US through packaged and digital media. The three series are the Weta produced show ‘The WotWots‘, ‘The Twisted Whiskers Show‘ and ‘Maryoku Yummy‘. Finally, Lionsgate will acquire US digital rights to three seasons of the classic Strawberry Shortcake series.

    Lionsgate senior VP of marketing Michael Rathauser said, “We have enjoyed tremendous success over the years with the Care Bears franchise and are pleased to extend our relationship with the new ‘Care Bears: Welcome to Care-A-Lot‘ series. We look forward to helping the Brand grow to new heights with the combination of new entertainment content and American Greeting‘s new Care Bears toy launch in 2013. Furthermore we are excited to have the opportunity to not only expand the Care Bears digital home entertainment footprint, but to also bring some of American Greetings‘ other quality children‘s entertainment to digital retailers for the first time; creating both new business opportunities and more awareness for these great brands.”

    American Greetings Properties VP of programme sales Gia DeLaney said, “We are extremely honored to continue our partnership with Lionsgate. The Care Bears‘ highly-anticipated return to U.S. television in June was a huge success and we are thrilled to continue bringing the series to fans through innovative avenues.”

  • Lionsgate reports Q1 loss of $44.2 mn

    Lionsgate reports Q1 loss of $44.2 mn

    MUMBAI: US film and entertainment studio Lionsgate has reported revenue of $471.8 million, adjusted EBITDA of $17.1 million, and net loss of $44.2 million for the first quarter ended 30 June 2012. The loss was in part due to theatrical marketing costs.
    Revenue in the first quarter increased by 81 per cent compared to $261.3 million in the prior year quarter, driven by the North American theatrical revenue of ‘The Hunger Games‘ and the films ‘Cabin In The Woods‘ and ‘What To Expect When You‘re Expecting‘ as well as revenue gains in the company‘s home entertainment business.
    Adjusted EBITDA of $17.1 million and EBITDA of $(13.4) million in the first quarter compared to EBITDA of $28.7 million and adjusted EBITDA of $27.5 million in the prior year quarter and net loss of $(44.2) million in the first quarter compared to net income of $10.3 million in the prior year quarter due in part to an increase of $90 million in theatrical marketing costs associated with five releases in the quarter (including four wide releases) compared to one release in the prior year quarter.
    The company noted that all five releases are anticipated to be profitable on an ultimate basis.
    EBITDA and net loss in the quarter were also affected by increased G&A costs due primarily to increased stock-based compensation largely associated with the increase in the Company‘s stock price as well as increased costs associated with the integration of Summit Entertainment.
    Profitability in the quarter was also impacted by increased interest expense, a non-cash charge for early retirement of a significant portion of the Summit term loan debt and the application of purchase accounting required by GAAP.

    Lionsgate‘s film backlog was $992 million till 30 June 2012. Filmed entertainment backlog represents the amount of future revenue not yet recorded from contracts for the licensing of films and television product for television exhibition and in international markets.
    Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said, “We completed our first quarter on target for our fiscal year and our three-year plan. Our financial results in the quarter were affected by marketing costs for a slate of five films, primarily noncash stock-based compensation and a noncash charge for paying down a significant portion of our Summit term loan debt early. However, with two-thirds of the profitability of the first HUNGER GAMES film still ahead, we anticipate that the combined benefits of our Summit acquisition, the strength of our young adult franchises and the continued evolution of our television business will translate into significant and growing contributions for the balance of our three-year plan.”
    Overall motion picture revenue for the first quarter was $406.5 million, an increase of 111 per cent from the prior year quarter. Within the motion picture segment, theatrical revenue was $137.6 million, a fivefold increase from the prior year first quarter, attributable to the box office performance of The Hunger Games, the 12th highest-grossing North American release of all time, and the other theatrical releases mentioned above.
    Lionsgate‘s home entertainment revenue from both motion pictures and television was $145.5 million in the first quarter compared to $92.9 million in the prior year quarter driven by five major DVD and digital releases in the quarter.
    Television revenue included in motion picture revenue was $37.1 million in the first quarter, a decrease of 14 per cent from the prior year quarter.
    International motion picture revenue of $48.6 million (excluding Lionsgate U.K.) for the first quarter increased more than fourfold from the prior year quarter driven by the worldwide theatrical release of ‘The Hunger Games‘ as well as revenue contributions from the ‘Twilight‘ films, ‘Cabin In The Woods‘, ‘What To Expect When You‘re Expecting‘ and ‘Man On A Ledge‘.
    Lionsgate UK revenue was $32.6 million, a nearly threefold increase from the prior year quarter, on the strength of a theatrical slate driven by ‘The Hunger Games‘ and Lionsgate UK‘s ‘Salmon Fishing In The Yemen‘ Television production revenue was $65.3 million in the first quarter, a decline of 5 per cent compared to the prior year quarter due primarily to fewer deliveries from the company‘s Debmar-Mercury syndication arm offset in part by increased digital media revenue from ‘Weeds‘ seasons six and seven and Mad Men season five in their home entertainment windows.

  • Lionsgate comes out with dates of last two Hunger Games films

    Lionsgate comes out with dates of last two Hunger Games films

    MUMBAI: Lionsgate has come out with the release dates of the final two installments in The Hunger Games series for 21 November, 2014 and 20 November, 2015.
    Lionsgate and Summit have split Suzanne Collins‘ third novel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay into two films much the same as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn was.
    The Hunger Games became an instant big-screen franchise this year after it grossed $678.2 million worldwide including $404.4 million domestically.
    The second film of the series titled The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on 22 November next year.

  • Lionsgate, Nordisk Film conclude long term output deal

    Lionsgate, Nordisk Film conclude long term output deal

    MUMBAI: Following on the heels of Lionsgate‘s recent acquisition of Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate and Nordisk Film have concluded a new multi-year output agreement in which feature films from both Lionsgate and Summit will be distributed by Nordisk in Scandinavia.
    The agreement extends Nordisk‘s existing output arrangement with Summit to encompass the entire Lionsgate family of feature films and was announced at on-going the Cannes Film Festival by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Patrick Wachsberger and Nordisk Film GM of independent Films Rob Friedman and Peter Philipsen.
    Wachsberger and Friedman said, “We are proud to extend Summit‘s longstanding relationship with the team at Nordisk Film to include both the Lionsgate and Summit brands in Scandinavia, a natural evolution of our historic partnership that promises significant benefits for both partners. The recent merger of Lionsgate and Summit allows us to bring a dramatically expanded portfolio of product to our distribution partners around the world and enables us to achieve significant economies of scale and an even higher level of consistency and predictability in our global business.”
    Philipsen said, “We‘re delighted to extend and expand our productive relationship with Patrick, Rob and the entire Lionsgate team. The new agreement provides us with a stable and assured pipeline of some of the most commercially exciting films in the world from a studio that is emerging as a major force in the global marketplace. Our history with Summit has been very rewarding, and we look forward to an exciting future in partnership with the entire Lionsgate family.”
    The upcoming Lionsgate Summit combined slate includes ‘Catching Fire‘, the next installment in ‘The Hunger Games‘ franchise and Sam Raimi‘s ‘The Possession‘.

  • Lionsgate to release The Hunger Games in China

    Lionsgate to release The Hunger Games in China

    MUMBAI: Lionsgate has been green lighted to release The Hunger Games in China in the first half of June. The film, starring Jennifer Lawrence has already grossed $620 million in worldwide box office.

    China watchers were likely surprised by the smooth entry of the Lionsgate blockbuster into China, given the film‘s anti-authoritarian themes and the current politically sensitive climate in the country.

    “China is already one of the leading territories at the international box office, and the launch of The Hunger Games in this key market is another sign of the franchise‘s continuing emergence as a truly global phenomenon,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-chairs Patrick Wachsberger and Rob Friedman said in a statement.

    The moves comes as a surprise as the Suzanne Collins books on which Hunger Games is based has not sold as widely overseas as in North America.

    Now, with Hunger Games set for release in China, Lionsgate is hopeful that the Catching Fire sequel would also get approval for a release in China.

    The Hunger Games release, in both dubbed and subtitled prints, will be executed by The China Film Group and Lionsgate partner Talent International.

    The Hunger Games will be among the first major Hollywood films to be released in China under the landmark revenue sharing agreement announced in February that allows foreign distributors to collect up to 25 per cent of a film‘s receipts in China.

    Back in 2010, Avatar, the highest grossing movie in China ever, was unexpectedly pulled early from 2D screens amidst reports that propaganda officials had deemed the film‘s domestic market dominance undesirable and its storyline too similar to a sensitive issue of the day: the forced eviction of Chinese villagers to make way for civic and commercial development.