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| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Film |
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| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
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| Products | Motion pictures |
| Services | Film distribution |
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| Divisions | Lionsgate Premiere |
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| Website | www |
Lionsgate Films, previously spelled asLions Gate and formerly known asCinépix Film Properties, is a Canadian-American[2]film production anddistribution company founded inMontreal, Quebec, Canada, on June 15, 1962. Headquartered inSanta Monica, California, it is owned byLionsgate Studios since May 14, 2024.
Lionsgate is the largest and most successfulmini-major film studio in North America. The studio focuses on foreign and independent films and has distributed various commercially successful film franchises, includingSaw,The Hunger Games,Rambo,Divergent,The Punisher,John Wick,Madea,Blair Witch,Now You See Me,Hostel,The Expendables,Sinister,The Twilight Saga,Step Up, andDen of Thieves.
Cinépix was founded byJohn Dunning and Andre Link in 1962.[3] Cinépix, based in Montreal, was a Canadian independent motion picture company that released English- and French-language films in Canada and the United States.[4]
Initially a distribution company, Cinépix's first production was the 1969 erotic dramaValérie, which earned $1 million at the box office.[5] Cinépix produced early work byDavid Cronenberg (Shivers) andIvan Reitman (Meatballs).[6] The company also distributed art-house films including the grunge rock documentaryHype,Vincent Gallo'sBuffalo '66, andSICK: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist.[7]
Cronenberg stated that "Cinépix was the Canadian version ofRoger Corman" and "in a way they were modelling themselves after him and also some European producers as well".[8]
From 1989 to 1994, Cinépix was partnered withFamous Players in C/FP Distribution, which was renamed Cinépix Film Properties (C/FP). In 1994, Cinépix bought Famous Players' stake in the organization.[9]
By 1997, Cinépix had a New York–based American distribution arm and owned 56 percent ofCiné-Groupe, ananimated film production company based inMontreal.[7]
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation (LGEC) was formed in 1997 by Frank Giustra, a banker.[10] LGEC purchased Cinépix and kept its leadership.[7] Cinépix was renamedLions Gate Films on January 13, 1998.[11] LGEC also purchased the Vancouver-basedNorth Shore Studios, which became Lions Gate Studios.[7] In June 1998, LGE purchased International Movie Group, whose film library includedJean-Claude Van Damme'sKickboxer.[7]
Liongate's first major box office success wasAmerican Psycho in 2000, which began a trend of producing and distributing films too controversial for the major film studios.[12] Other notable films includedAffliction (1998),[13]Gods and Monsters (1998),[14]Dogma (1999),[15]O (2001),[16]Cube 2: Hypercube (2002),Open Water (2003),Saw (2004),[17]The Punisher (2004) and theMichael Moore documentaryFahrenheit 9/11 (2004), which had been the studio's highest-grossing film until the release ofThe Hunger Games in 2012.[18]
Giustra left the firm in 2000.[10] That same year,Jon Feltheimer became CEO and Michael Burns became vice chairman.[19] They decided to focus on the profits of videos and DVDs and began buying struggling firms that controlled large libraries. The two most notable acquisitions wereTrimark Holdings (650 titles) in 2000[7] andArtisan Entertainment in 2003.[20] The Trimark purchase also includedCinemaNow, a broadband streaming website, where Lionsgate could feature its own movies.[7] These two purchases along with others gave Lions Gate a large home entertainment library, which includesTotal Recall,Reservoir Dogs,Terminator 2: Judgment Day,Young Guns,Dirty Dancing andApocalypse Now, in some cases via output deals withStudioCanal,American Zoetrope, andMiramax (most of them the result of prior licensing deals with Lions Gate's home video predecessor Artisan).[citation needed]
Lions Gate occasionally co-produces films with major studios. For example, Lions Gate teamed with Miramax Films for the 2004 sequelDirty Dancing: Havana Nights and withParamount Pictures for 2002'sNarc and 2004'sThe Prince & Me which was given a studio credit. Lions Gate was also a silent partner in20th Century Fox's 2004 sci-fi filmThe Day After Tomorrow. Also in 2004, Lions Gate joined forces withUnited Artists in producingHotel Rwanda.[21]
On August 1, 2005, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp acquired the entire library of Modern Entertainment.[22][23] On October 17, 2005, Lionsgate acquiredRedbus Film Distribution for $35 million[24][25] and becameLionsgate UK on February 23, 2006.[26][27] Following this,Zygi Kamasa, who co-founded Redbus with Simon Franks, became CEO of Lionsgate UK and Europe.
In 2006, Lions Gate Studios was acquired by Bosa Developments, and later reverted back to its original North Shore name.[citation needed]
In 2007, Joe Drake became Lionsgate's co-COO and motion picture group president.[28] Lionsgate cut back its annual production by four in February 2009.[29]
The Hunger Games grossed $68.3 million when it premiered at the US box office on March 23, 2012. At the time, it was the best opening day ever for a non-sequel and the fifth highest of all time. Of that total, $19.7 million was earned via Thursday midnight screenings.[30] In its first weekend,The Hunger Games grossed $152.5 million, making it Lionsgate's highest-grossing film after just three days.[31]
On January 13, 2012, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp acquiredSummit Entertainment, the studio behind theTwilight andStep Up series for $412.5 million.[32] On May 3, 2012, Lionsgate Films made an agreement withCodeBlack Enterprises' CEO Jeff Clanagan to createCodeBlack Films, based at Lionsgate.[33] Drake left in 2012 to foundGood Universe.[28]
On January 16, 2013, Lionsgate announced a low-budget film division to be led by John Sacchi. The division would release films under $2.5 million. Sacchi recently looked to acquire such films as Rock Bottom Creek (2012) and other independently made films as well.[34]
On November 22, 2013, Lions Gate releasedThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In its opening weekend, the movie grossed $158 million at the US box office, surpassing its predecessor, which generated $150 million in its opening weekend.[35] The film had a budget of $130 million, breaking even soon after its opening, and making it profitable. Critics highly praised the film; it received a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 89%.[36] The thirdHunger Games film,Mockingjay- Part 1, was released in 2014. The final film,Mockingjay - Part 2, was released in 2015.
On April 1, 2015, according toDeadline, Lions Gate announced it has created its new label,Lionsgate Premiere. This new label will handle up to 15 releases a year, targeting young audiences at theaters and digital outlets. The new label, part of the company's diversification effort, will incorporate Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment titles and then specialize in "innovative multiplatform and other release strategies" to reach "affinity audiences with branded content and targeted marketing." Marketing and Research SVP Jean McDowell will handle marketing, with distribution to be run by Adam Sorensen, who currently manages Western Sales.[37]
On May 2, 2016, according toDeadline Hollywood, Lions Gate announced it has teaming with eight international companies to launch the GlobalGate Entertainment consortium. GlobalGate will produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world. Lionsgate said Monday it has partnered with international entertainment executives Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber to launch GlobalGate.[38]
Drake returned in October 2017 as Lionsgate's film group chairman. The company laid off staff for theatrical marketing and publicity in its New York office, and moved to end its participation as a partner in CodeBlack Films in January 2019. The cut backs were due to the failures ofRobin Hood, and the comedyThe Spy Who Dumped Me.[28] In June 2019,Hulu andFX picked up show rights to Lionsgate films released in 2020 and 2021.[39]
In mid-2019, Lionsgate bid for a 49% stake in Miramax from Qatari companybeIN Media Group. This would have given Lionsgate worldwide distribution rights to the studio's 700 film library, as well as the rights to create future films based on Miramax properties. Lionsgate were considered a strong contender due to their familiarity with the Miramax library from previous temporary distribution deals.[40] However, in September 2019, it was announced that Lionsgate had dropped out of the bidding,[41] with the 49% Miramax stake eventually going toViacomCBS (now known asParamount Skydance), who paid $375 million for it.[42]
In 2022, Adam Fogelson joined the Motion Picture Group as vice chair, after leavingSTX Entertainment, reporting to Drake.[43]
In December 2023, Lionsgate closed its acquisition of Entertainment One (nowLionsgate Canada), another Canadian-founded studio business.[44] In Spring 2024, Lionsgate's film and studio businesses (including Lionsgate Films) was spun-off into the newly formedLionsgate Studios.[45][46]
On June 17, 2024, it was announced that Lionsgate will distributeFrancis Ford Coppola's independently made $120 million sci-fi epicMegalopolis in North America (albeit without a marketing deal) after almost every distribution company in the United States declined due to its unconventional storytelling being difficult to promote, with a release date for the film set on September 27, 2024.[47][48] Lionsgate had previously partnered with Coppola for the re-releases of his past films such asThe Conversation (1974),Apocalypse Now (1979),One from the Heart (1982) andThe Cotton Club (1984).[47]
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| Title | Release date | No. Films | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Les Boys | 1997–98 | 2 | Distribution only |
| American Psycho | 2000–02 | ||
| Cube | 2002–04 | Acquired fromTrimark Pictures | |
| Leprechaun | 2003–present | 3 | |
| Saw | 2004–present | 10 | |
| The Punisher | 2004–08 | 2 | Co-production withValhalla Entertainment andMarvel Entertainment |
| Hostel | 2005–07 | Co-production withScreen Gems | |
| Madea | 2005–19 | 11 | Co-production withTyler Perry Studios |
| Marvel Animated Features | 2006–11 | 8 | Co-production withMarvel Entertainment andMarvel Animation |
| Happily N'Ever After | 2007–09 | 2 | |
| Why Did I Get Married? | 2007–10 | Co-production with Tyler Perry Studios | |
| The Twilight Saga | 2008–12 | 5 | |
| Rambo | 2008–19 | 2 | |
| Alpha and Omega | 2010–17; TBA | 8 | |
| The Expendables | 2010–23 | 4 | |
| The Hunger Games | 2012–present | 5 | |
| Step Up | 2012–20 | 3 | Acquired from Summit Entertainment |
| Now You See Me | 2013–present | ||
| Escape Plan | 2013–19 | ||
| John Wick | 2014–present | 4 | |
| The Divergent Series | 2014–16 | 3 | |
| Sicario | 2015–present | 1 (2) | Co-distributed withSony Pictures Releasing |
| Norm of the North | 2016–20 | 4 | |
| Rock Dog | 2016–23 | 3 | First installment released through Summit Premiere |
| The Hitman's Bodyguard | 2017–present | 2 | |
| Detective Knight | 2022–23 | 3 | |
| Den of Thieves | 2018–present | 2 | Acquired fromSTX Entertainment |
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Lionsgate, it appears, will not be paying for marketing. Instead, [Francis Ford] Coppola is expected to provide the spend himself.
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