Lionsgate
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Company type | Public (NYSE: LGF) |
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Industry | Entertainment |
Founded | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1995) |
Headquarters | Santa Monica, California, USA[1] |
Key people | Frank Giustra (founder) Jon Feltheimer (CEO) Steve Beeks (President) Michael R. Burns (Vice Chairman) |
Products | Motion pictures, television programming, home video, family entertainment, video-on-demand, digital distribution |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Total assets | 8,991,200,000 United States dollar (2022) ![]() |
Website | www.lionsgate.com |
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation[2] (commonly referred to as Lionsgate) is a Canadian entertainment company that has existed in different incarnations. The current company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, but is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.[3][4] As of 2007, it is the most commercially successful independent film and television distribution company in North America.[5]
History
Lionsgate was founded in 1995 by Frank Giustra, a Vancouver investment banker hoping to capitalize on the growing film industry in his home town. The company bought a number of small production facilities and distributors, including Montreal-based Cinepix Film Productions (CFP), Trimark Pictures and, most notably, Artisan Entertainment (which itself had formerly been LIVE Entertainment, and before that, Vestron Pictures).
They had sold off their Canadian distribution rights to the formed Maple Pictures, founded and co-owned by two former Lions Gate executives, Brad Pelman and Laurie May.[6]
Its first major box office success was American Psycho in 2000, which began a trend of producing and distributing films too controversial for the major American studios. Other notable films included Affliction, Gods and Monsters, Dogma, Saw and the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which became the studio's highest grossing film.
Lionsgate plays a significant role in the co-financing and co-partnership with Relativity Media in most of the latter studio's films released by the former (such as 2010's Kick-Ass), with Relativity's Rogue Pictures division and Universal Pictures (once Rogue's parent company) as silent partners, with partial distribution overseen by Universal.
Lionsgate, along with MGM and Paramount Pictures/Viacom, is also a co-owner of Epix, a new pay TV movie channel which debuted on October 30, 2009 on Verizon FiOS IPTV systems, that will rival HBO and Showtime.[7]
Lionsgate has introduced a new family film label, Lions Gate Family Entertainment. The first film that will be released under this label will be Alpha and Omega. Lionsgate Family Entertainment will be combined with live-action and animated films.
In 2009, Lionsgate, along with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, made a stake for Hulu (owned by News Corporation, NBC Universal/General Electric, and The Walt Disney Company) for its movies and TV shows. Lionsgate also stated they would be starting work in music albums, later in 2011.[8]
The distribution of selected recent non-in-house films for pay-per-view and on-demand are under the supervision of NBC Universal Television Distribution under Universal Pictures (Universal formally held home video and television rights to many of the early Lionsgate films), while all others are distributed for both cable and broadcast television through Debmar-Mercury, Lionsgate's syndicated division.
Confusion with Robert Altman's company
Contrary to some assumptions, Lionsgate has no relation to the now-defunct, Los Angeles-based studio and production company run by filmmaker Robert Altman in the 1970s, which the director called Lion's Gate Films.[9] However, both companies take their name from the same landmark - Greater Vancouver's Lion's Gate. The term Lion's Gate references the famed Lions Gate bridge, whose vista includes the distant Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver, where Altman shot his 1969 feature, That Cold Day in the Park. Among the films made by Altman's original company include 3 Women and A Wedding. The original company also ventured into television production—its most notable show being Faerie Tale Theatre. Altman then sold his company to Jonathan Taplin.
Films
1990s
1996
1998
1999
- But I'm a Cheerleader
- Darkness Falls
- Dogma (produced by Miramax)
- The Red Violin (USA distribution only)
- No Vacancy
2000s
2000
- Amores Perros
- American Psycho
- Blood and Roses
- Bruiser
- Clifford the Big Red Dog (TV series) (co-production with Scholastic Corporation)
- The Golden Bowl
- Heavy Metal 2000
- Shadow of the Vampire
- American Psycho 2
- Biggie and Tupac
- Cube 2: Hypercube
- The Dead Zone (TV series)
- Irréversible
- Lovely & Amazing
- Max
- The Grey Zone
- The Rules of Attraction
- The Cat's Meow
- Wise Girls
- Narc (co-production with Paramount Pictures and Cruise/Wagner Productions)
- The Cooler
- High Tension
- House of 1000 Corpses
- Ju-on: The Grudge
- Madea's Class Reunion
- Monster Man
- Open Water
- Shattered Glass
- The Snow Walker
- Undead
- Wonderland
- The Cookout
- Cube Zero
- Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
- Fahrenheit 9/11
- Fear of Clowns
- Godsend (co-production with 2929 Productions)
- Hotel Rwanda (co-production with United Artists)
- The Prince & Me (co-production with Paramount Pictures)
- The Punisher (co-production with Marvel Studios)
- Saw (produced by Twisted Pictures)
- Alone in the Dark
- Chaos
- Crash
- The Devil's Rejects
- Diary of a Mad Black Woman
- Grizzly Man (distribution, co-production with Discovery Docs)
- Happy Endings
- High Tension (re-released in 2005 only, distribution only)
- Hostel
- In the Mix (co-production with 20th Century Fox)
- Isolation
- Lord of War
- March of the Penguins (only in Canada)
- Pinocchio 3000
- Santa's Slay
- Saw II (produced by Twisted Pictures)
- Tamara
- Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys (only in Canada)
- Waiting...
- 2001 Maniacs
- Akeelah and the Bee
- Arthur's Missing Pal
- Clifford the Big Red Dog (TV series): (Growing Up With Clifford) (co-production with Scholastic Corporation)
- Crank
- Dark Ride
- The Descent
- Employee of the Month
- The Hamiltons
- Hard Candy
- The Invincible Iron Man
- The Koala Brothers
- The Kumite (also known as Star Runner)
- Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
- Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
- Man About Town
- Maya & Miguel
- Madea's Family Reunion
- Mr. Jingles
- Saw III (produced by Twisted Pictures)
- See No Evil (produced by WWE Films)
- Solar Attack
- Ultimate Avengers
- Ultimate Avengers 2
- The U.S. vs. John Lennon
- What's Done in the Dark
- 3:10 to Yuma
- The All Together
- Blood Trails
- Bratz: The Movie
- Bug
- Captivity
- Catacombs
- The Condemned (produced by WWE Films)
- Daddy's Little Girls
- Delta Farce
- Dishdogz
- Doctor Strange
- Drive-Thru
- Good Luck Chuck
- Happily N'Ever After
- Highlander: The Source
- Hostel: Part 2
- Ladrón que Roba a Ladrón (To Rob a Thief)
- Peaceful Warrior (co-distributed in certain territories by Universal Pictures)
- Pride
- Rise of the Dead
- Saw IV (produced by Twisted Pictures)
- Side Sho
- Sicko (produced by The Weinstein Company)
- Skinwalkers (co-produced by After Dark Films)
- Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming
- Teeth
- Trade
- War
- Why Did I Get Married?
- Rambo (co-produced with The Weinstein Company)
- The Eye (co-produced with Paramount Vantage and Cruise/Wagner Productions)
- The Bank Job
- Meet the Browns (produced by The Tyler Perry Company)
- The Forbidden Kingdom (produced by China Film Co-Production Corporation and Relativity Media)
- The Midnight Meat Train (co-produced with Lakeshore Entertainment)
- Disaster Movie
- Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (co-production by Marvel Studios)
- The Family That Preys (produced by The Tyler Perry Company)
- My Best Friend's Girl
- Religulous (produced by Thousand Words)
- W.
- Saw V (produced by Twisted Pictures)
- Repo! The Genetic Opera (produced by Twisted Pictures)
- Punisher: War Zone (co-production with Marvel Studios)
- The Spirit
- The Marriage Counselor
- The Perfect Game
- The Burrowers
- Transporter 3 (co-production with Europa Corp.)
- Credo (also known as The Devil's Curse, produced by Alto Films)
- The Lucky Ones
- My Bloody Valentine 3D
- New in Town (produced by Gold Circle Films)
- Madea Goes to Jail
- Horsemen
- The Haunting in Connecticut
- Hulk Vs.
- Happily N'Ever After 2: Snow White Another Bite @ the Apple
- Crank: High Voltage
- Battle for Terra
- Drag Me to Hell
- The Cove (limited; co-distributed by Roadside Attractions)
- The Descent 2
- Gamer
- Saw VI (co-production with Twisted Pictures)
- Youth in Revolt
- I Can Do Bad All By Myself
- Breaking Point
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
- A Jazz Man's Blues
- Heart
- Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
- Brothers
- Hero of the Rails
- Facing Ali
- The Winning Season
2010s
- Daybreakers – January 8, 2010
- Warrior – January 22, 2010
- The Spy Next Door (co-production with Relativity Media) – January 29, 2010
- Planet Hulk – February 2, 2010
- From Paris with Love – February 5, 2010
- Love (2010 film) – Valentine's Day 2010
- Wrong Side of Town – February 23, 2010
- Season of the Witch – March 19, 2010
- Why Did I Get Married Too? – April 2, 2010
- Kick-Ass – April 16, 2010
Upcoming
- Killers – June 4, 2010
- The Expendables – August 20, 2010
- Buried – September 24, 2010 (limited); October 8, 2010 (wide)
- Alpha and Omega – October 1, 2010
- Saw VII (co-production with Twisted Pictures) – October 22, 2010
- Husk – TBA 2010
- Agent In Place – TBA
- Deal with the Devil – Coming Soon
- From Prada To Nada – Coming Soon
- Knockout – Coming Soon
- The Last Equation – Coming Soon
- The Next Three Days – Coming Soon
- Rambo V – Coming Soon
- Warrior – Coming Soon
- Romeo and Juliet – February 11, 2011
- For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf – January 14, 2011
- The Hunger Games- July 22, 2011
TBA
Television
Lionsgate Television produced such series as The Dead Zone, Five Days to Midnight, Weeds, Nurse Jackie, Tyler Perry's House of Payne and the Emmy Award-winning Mad Men. Lionsgate also recently acquired TV syndication firm Debmar-Mercury with 20th Television handling ad-sales. Lions Gate also owns the TV Guide Network.
Studios
- The Lionsgate studio properties in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada were sold to a private company and are now called North Shore Studios, and no longer have an affiliation with Lionsgate Entertainment. In 2006, the company acquired land in Rio Rancho, New Mexico for construction of a new studio facility. The former Lionsgate office located in Toronto is now owned by the Canadian arm of Lions Gate Entertainment, Maple Pictures.
Video
Lionsgate has a home video library of more than 8000 films (many the result of output deals with other studios), including such titles as Dirty Dancing, Joshua Tree, Total Recall, On Golden Pond and the Rambo series. Lionsgate also distributes Will & Grace and other NBC programs, Mattel's Barbie-branded videos and Clifford the Big Red Dog videos from the Scholastic Corporation and is also the current home video distributor of HiT Entertainment titles, including Barney & Friends, Thomas and Friends and Fraggle Rock.
Video properties currently owned by Lionsgate Home Entertainment include those from Family Home Entertainment, Vestron Video, Lightning Video (a former Vestron company), and Magnum Entertainment.
See also
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References
- ^ http://investors.lionsgate.com/Contact.asp
- ^ Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Company Profile - Yahoo! Finance
- ^ "Lionsgate Investors". Lions Gate. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
- ^ "Lionsgate: The hidden enigma". Variety. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
- ^ "2007 Market Share and Box Office Results by Movie Studio". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Paramount, Lionsgate, MGM to Roar with New Premium Channel, Multichannel.com, April 20, 2008
- ^ http://www.hulu.com/network/lionsgate Official Hulu Profile
- ^ Cook (2000), p. 97.
Sources
- Cook, David A. (2000). Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970–1979 (Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press). ISBN 0-520-23265-8