Lionsgate Entertainment

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Robert Lezama

by Robbie Lezama

2700 Colorado Ave., Ste. 200

Santa Monica, CA 90404

Telephone (310) 449-9200
Facsimile (310) 255-3870

http://www.lionsgate.com/

Brief Overview:

One of the Liongate’s most profitable subsidiaries, Lionsgate Films continues to compete in the film industry as a “mini-major” studio, producing hits like The Hunger Games and distributing the infectious Twilight series. While Lionsgate Entertainment also focuses on the production and distribution of television, family/home entertainment, on demand and digital content, we know Lionsgate mainly for the films. Noteabley, Lionsgate Films also owns Summit Entertainment, which produced Twilight, and 43% of the production studio Roadside Attractions.

Twilight and The Hunger Games

When people in the film industry think of Lionsgate, they think of The Hunger Games and the Twilight Series. The Hunger games grossed about $68.3 million after it came to theaters on March 23, 2012. Subsequently, its first weekend barreled through and came out with $152.5 million. This became Lion gate’s highest grossing film in just one weekend. The Twilight series has become attracted a global fan base and continues to sell both in and out of theaters. The last installation of the series was released in theaters November 12, 2012. Lions Gate’s timely acquisition of Summit Entertainment aided in the studio’s continual success.

Executives

Jon Feltheimer

CEO Lions Gate Entertainment:

Jon is the Chief Executive Officer of Lions Gate Entertainment and has held that position since 2000. Feltheimer’s has led Lionsgate to grow into the leading American independent filmed entertainment studio.Before joining Lionsgate, Mr. Feltheimer spent nine years at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he served as head of the Columbia TriStar Television Group and head of Sony Entertainment Television.

Patrick Wachsberger

CO-Chairman Lions Gate Films

Patrick Wachsberger is the President and CEO of Summit Entertainment and also serves as a Co-Chairman for Lionsgate Films. Prior to running Summit Entertainment, Wachsberger served as President and CEO of Odyssey Entertainment and Odyssey Distributors, Ltd. Prior to heading Odyssey, Wachsberger was President of J & M Entertainment, one of the industry’s leading foreign sales companies. He served there for 11 years.

Rob Friedman

CO-Chairman Lions Gate Films:

As Co-Chairman of Lionsgate Films, Rob oversees all aspects of Lionsgate’s domestic and international feature film acquisition, production and distribution as well as the home entertainment releases of theatrical feature films.

Financials:

Lionsgate Entertainment:

Financial Highlights
Fiscal Year End:	March
Revenue (2012):	1587.60 M
Revenue Growth (1 yr):	0.30%
Employees (2012):	607
Employee Growth (1 yr):	24.90%

Films like Twilight and Expendables 2, helped the film studio to a $37.8 million in profit for the third quarter. Liongate’s total film revenue was $673.5 millon. This is due to the increased revenue streams of the studio’s home entertainment and theatrical divisions. The studio, “brought Twilight franchise in-house when it bought Summit at the beginning of 2012.” Even after the transaction of $412.5, Lionsgate still made more than $52 million in the quarter.

Current News:

CBS And Lionsgate Enter 50/50 Partnership On Highly Distributed Entertainment Cable Network

On March 26, 2013 CBS and Lionsgate entered a 50/50 partnership for the cable network TVNG and TVGuide.com. Originally, Lionsgate had purchased TV Guide for $255 million in 2009 and sold JP Morgans, One Equity, a %49 share towards the end of that year. In this deal CBS bought their share for $100 millon from One Equity. In the end, this partnership will allow “CBS’s programming, production and marketing assets with Lionsgate’s resources in motion pictures, television and digitally delivered content.”

DVD and Blu-ray Sales for the Fifth Film in The Franchise Increase From Breaking Dawn – Part 1’s Opening Weekend

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, which came out in stores March 2, had record breaking numbers. Overall the film has grossed $829 million at the box office. The fact that this is the fifth film in the franchise and is the highest grossing, goes to show how powerful the fan following really is. By purchasing Summit Entertainment on Janurary 13, 2012, Lionsgate was able to bank on this last Twilight film which continues to thrive. Blu-ray sales accounted for a about 27% of first weekend sales. This is 22% up of the first weekend sales of Breaking Dawn Part 1.

Whats Next for Lionsgate films?

Temptation

Lionsgate’s most recent release is the film Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor starring, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Vanessa Williams and Brandy Norwood.The film follows a married woman and her temptation for a charming billionaire, which only leads to betrayal and recklessness.

The Big Wedding

In theaters April 26, The Big Wedding follows a long divorced couple that fakes being married as their family unites for a wedding. The movie will star Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton and Katherine Heigl.

Peeples

Coming to theaters May 10, the film, Peeples, covers the story of “regular guy” crashing a “preppy” family reunion only to ask for their daughter’s hand. This comedy will star Craig Robinson, Kerry Washington and David Alan Grier.

You’re Next (In theaters August 23)

This thriller follows a family away for a reunion as they come under attack during their wedding anniversary. With a surprising twist and shocking visuals, Youre Next will deliver. The film will star Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg and AJ Bowen.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire In theaters November 22

As one of Lionsgate’s more anticipated films, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is in theaters Novemeber 22, will surely deliver. In this sequel, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, two previous winners, Katniss and Peeta, are dethroned from the victories and are put back in to the arena. This second installation in the Hunger Games “trilogy”, will surely bring a massive first weekend at the box office.

Works Cited:

http://www.ctam.com/html/summit/bios/feltheimer.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Feltheimer

http://www.filmbug.com/db/343434

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Friedman#cite_note-1

http://m.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cbs-and-lionsgate-enter-5050-partnership-on-highly-distributed-entertainment-cable-network-200102471.html

http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/stocks/fundamentals/fundamentals.asp?symbol=LGF

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/twilight-expendables-2-boost-lionsgate-third-quarter-profit-77186

http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/stocks/tools/analysis_tools.asp?symbol=LGF

http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1792214&highlight=

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2070862/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1931435/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951264/

Lionsgate Entertainment

Posted on December 1, 2012 by careiff

By Charles Reiff

Lionsgate production logo, courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com

Founded in 1997, Lionsgate is now a global entertainment corporation that handles film production and distribution, as well as television programming and syndication. Lionsgate also has a strong presence in home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, and new channel platforms.

Once known as Lions Gate Entertainment, the corporation changed its name to “Lionsgate” in 2005. The company stated in a release: “The simplification of Lions Gate into the single word ‘Lionsgate’ represents the ongoing unification of the company’s diversified motion picture, television, home entertainment, family entertainment, documentary film, music publishing and video-on-demand businesses into a single, highly recognizable brand” [13].

Lionsgate has grown immensely in the past few years. In the past decade alone, it has increased revenues eightfold, from $180 million to almost $1.6 billion, its theatrical box office market share tenfold, the size of its library by a multiple of 15, and its television revenues are now 50 times what they once were, from $8 million in 2000 to $351 million in 2011 [1].

The Hunger Games, courtesy of imdb.com

Lionsgate enjoyed unprecedented success with its film The Hunger Games, which has earned $686.5 million around the world in the few months since its March 23rd premier, grossing $408 million at the North American box office. This puts it at the 3rd largest U.S. film of the year and the 13th highest grossing film of all time [12].

Key Executives [2]

Jon Feltheimer: Chief Executive Officer and Director

James Keegan: Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administration Officer

Dr. Mark H. Rachesky, M.D.: Chairman of the Board

Michael Burns: Vice Chairman and Director

Wayne Levin: General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Corporate Operations

Brian Goldsmith: Co-Chief Operating Oficer

Steven Beeks: Co-Chief Operating Officer and President, Motion Picture Group

Recent News

September

The Possession, courtesy of imdb.com

September 3rd, 2012

Lionsgate’s The Possession, a terrifying horror film about a young girl who’s body has been taken over by an evil spirit, was the top ticket seller at the box office over Labor Day weekend. The horror film grossed $21.3 million over the four day-weekend, making it the second-highest Labor Day opening ever, behind only Halloween, which opened with $30.6 million during 2007’s Labor Day weekend. The film was produced by Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures with a budget of only $14 million, and stars Jeffery Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick.

To read the full LA Times article on 2012’s labor day weekend ticket sales, click here [11].

September 17th, 2012

Celestial Tiger Entertainment, one of the largest independent entertainment companies in Asia, announced that it has expanded its content distribution deal with Lionsgate to cover all of East Asia. Now Lionsgate will be represented by Celestial Tiger Entertainment in Greater China and Southeast Asia, and CTE will be distributing all Lionsgate television content and feature films to Japan and Korea [8].

To read the full article by Yahoo! Finance, click here [8].

October

October 5th, 2012

Brian Goldsmith, after serving as executive vice president of corporate development and strategy since 2008, was promoted to co-chief operating officer, alongside Steve Beeks, to handle corporate development for the studio’s platform of channels and digital projects [7]. Goldsmith was recognized for his work in Lionsgate’s acquisition of Summit Entertainment in January, as well as the partnerships with Viacom and MGM in the Epix channel, Sony and Comcast in the FEARnet channel, as well as the output deal with Celestial Tiger Entertainment in Asia [7]. “Brian played a leadership role in many of the initiatives that made 2012 a transformative year for us,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer and vice chairman Michael Burns [7].

For the full article from Variety, click here [7].

October 30th, 2012

Domino’s, a leading pizza franchise that specializes in lightning-fast delivery, made a video-on-demand deal with Lionsgate U.K., in which customers who order pizza from the Domino’s website will also be able to instantly watch Lionsgate titles online. Domino’s sales and marketing director Simon Wallis is excited about their move with the video-on-demand service, as he described pizza and film as “a match made in heaven” [9]. Touching on the service’s universal appeal, Wallis said: “we pride ourselves on offering a vast choice when it comes to pizza, and the same is true of Domino’s Pizza Box Office–whether you’re into action, horror, or romantic comedies, there’s something for every pizza-eating occasion” [9]

Domino’s “Pizza Box Office” venture with Lionsgate, courtesy of tqs.com

To read the full Variety article, click here [9].

November

November 1st, 2012

Lionsgate has made a strong active effort to sign output deals with major distributors. On November 1st the company announced a partnership with Belgium’s Belga Films for release of the studio’s titles in the Benelux. Jerome de Bethune, COO of Belga Films, said “this output agreement provides us with a consistent pipeline of some of the most commercially exiting films in the world, including the next three installments of the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise” [4].

Lionsgate has forged output deals with StudioCanal in Germany, Nordisk Films in Scandanavia, Alliance’s Aurum Producciones in Spain, Roadshow Pictures in Australia and Metropolitan Filmworks in France.

To read the full Hollywood Reporter article on the deal with Belga Films, click here [4].

To read the full Hollywood Reporter article on the deal with Metropolitan Filmworks, click here [5].

Michael Burns, courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com

November 5th, 2012

Lionsgate vice chairman, Michael Burns, announced the extension of his contract through October 2017. Burns, after acquiring Summit Entertainment and having such great success with The Hunger Games, is maintaining his position as vice chairman for another five years. “We’re delighted that Michael will continue to help guide Lionsgate’s growth through 2017,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer [6].

To read the full article from The Hollywood Reporter, click here [6].

November 28th, 2012

Lionsgate, in an attempt to further create an international distribution network with top partners around the world, announced yet another output deal, this time with Russia’s West Company. The deal will allow Lionsgate films and television shows to be distributed in Russia and other nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region.”Our Lionsgate and Summit labels have both successfully partnered with West Company on numerous films in the past, including the blockbusterTwlight franchise,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachberger [11]. “This new output agreement for Lionsgate titles is a natural evolution of our alliance that promises significant benefits for both our companies for many years to come” [11].

To read the full press release from Yahoo! Finance, click here.

December

December 3rd, 2012

The weekend from Friday, November 30th to Sunday, December 2nd was the third weekend in a row that Breaking Dawn – Part 2–the final installment of the teen vampire Twilight saga from Lionsgate–led U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, outselling both the James Bond film Skyfall and Lincoln. As of December 3rd, according to Bloomberg’s website, this fifth film in the series has taken in $254.6 million in domestic sales, exploiting a post-Thanksgiving lull in big releases to stay on top of the box-office standings. The five Twilight films have taken in $1.33 billion in domestic theaters, according to Box Office Mojo, making it the eighth most successful film franchise of all time [10].

Works Cited

[1] Lionsgate http://investors.lionsgate.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62796&p=irol-homeprofile

[2] Daily Finance http://www.dailyfinance.com/quote/nyse/lions-gate-entertainment-corp-usa/lgf/key-executives?source=esadlfltnal0001

[3] Paul Bond http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hunger-games-boosts-lionsgate-stock-388322

[4] Etan Vlessing http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lionsgate-inks-output-deal-belgiums-385221

[5] Etan Vlessing http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lionsgate-signs-output-deal-frances-384726

[6] Etan Vlessing http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lionsgate-vice-chair-michael-burns-contract-2017-386348

[7] Jill Goldsmith http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118060342

[8] Yahoo! Finance http://finance.yahoo.com/news/celestial-tiger-entertainment-expands-content-130000096.html

[9] Variety Newsroom http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118061416

[10] Box Office Mojo http://boxofficemojo.com/search/?q=twilight

[11] Amy Kaufman http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/03/entertainment/la-et-ct-box-office-possession-oogieloves-lawless-20120903