By Ali Koskoris

Lionsgate Entertainment

Photo Courtesy of destructoid.com[i]

2700 Colorado Avenue, Suite 200, Santa Monica,CA 90404

1-310-449-9200

www.lionsgate.com

About Lionsgate Entertainment: 

Founded in 1997 in Canada [iii], Lionsgate Films is an independent international entertainment company and segment of the Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation.  It produces and distributes motion pictures, television programming and syndication, animation, and digital media. [iv]  In 2003 the company merged with Artisan Entertainment and in 2012 it purchased Summit Entertainment for approximately $413 million. [v]

Lionsgate has gained momentum by creating blockbuster film franchises based on books, including Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. [vi] With a focus on cost discipline, Lionsgate releases approximately fifteen feature films and six to eight specialty films a year through its sister company, Roadside Attractions. The company television section also has close to thirty television series distributed through multiple mediums, including Mad Men and Orange is the New Black, and holds contracts with Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon. [vii]

Key Executives:

   

Photos and info Courtesy of: http://www.lionsgate.com [viii]

 

Financials:

In 2013 Lionsgate Entertainment earned $2.7 billion dollars – a 70.58% growth from 2012- and had a gross income of $1.3 billion dollars- a 95.22% gross income increase from 2012. [ix]  Thus far in 2014 (through April 13), Lionsgate has grossed approximately $232 million domestically, led by recent release, Divergent and followed by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is no longer in theatres. [x] The company stays small, with just 636 employees worldwide. [xi]

 

What’s Happening Now?

In 2014, Lionsgate Entertainment released eight films, and five are still in theatres.  Divergent, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and I, Frankenstein lead 2014 in gross so far respectively (with the latter two out of theatres). [xii]  

 

Divergent
The third of Lionsgate’s novel-to-film franchises, Divergent tells the story of a young woman who finds out she does not fit into the confined factions of her world and is “Divergent.” She must find out the truth about what it means to be Divergent when she uncovers a plot to destroy her faction. The film, directed by Neil Burger, is based on the Veronica Roth novel and features rising star Shailene Woodley. [xiii]

Photo Courtesy of themoviemash.com [xiv]

In its opening weekend (21-23 March 2014), Divergent topped the box office charts, grossing approximately $54.6 million domestically to its $85 million budget. Currently in its fourth week in theatres, the film has grossed $178.4 million worldwide. [xv] Like Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga, Lionsgate announced on 15 April 2014 that Allegiant, the third and final book of the series, will be split into two films. Part one will be released on 18 March 2016 and Part 2 will be released on 24 March, 2017. [xvi]

 

                                                                                                                 

Draft Day
Draft Day tells the story of an NFL general manager who works to rebuild his team by trading for the number one pick. The film is directed by Ivan Reitman and it stars American sportscaster Chris Berman and actress Jennifer Garner. [xvii]

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

During its opening weekend (11-13 April 2014), the film ranked number four in domestic weekend gross, making about $9.7 million.  As of 18 April 2014, it has grossed $15.8 million domestically. [xviii]

Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club
Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club is about a group of five single moms who overcome problems through their support group. Written and directed by Tyler Perry, the film stars Nia Long and Wendi McLendon-Covey. [xix]

Photo Courtesy of IMDb

For its opening weekend, the film ranked number five in domestic gross with $8 million. In week five (as of 17 April 2014), the film has grossed $15.8 million domestically. [xx]

 

Photo Courtesy of IMDb [xxv]

Joe                                                                                              In addition to these three films, Lionsgate is boasting Joe, a film distributed by Roadside Attractions.  The film, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by David Gordon Green, tells the story of an ex-con who befriends a teenaged boy. [xxi]  The film is different from Lionsgate’s other recent films because it was released On Demand on the same day it was released in theatres (11 April 2014). [xxii] The film was released in just 48 theatres domestically and, as of 20 April 2014, has grossed about $330 thousand at the domestic box office. [xxiii]  The film has received positive reviews, with an 84% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and a 79% rating from audiences. [xxiv]

 

In Other News:

Photo Courtesy of rocketjump.com [xxvii]

On 14 April 2014, Lionsgate announced that it has created a multi-year partnership with video creator RocketJump Studios, which gained fame through its web series Video Game High School. RocketJump has 6.8 million subscribers and shows its content through multiple platforms.  The partnership gives Lionsgate access to RocketJump’s digital content and gives RocketJump access to Lionsgate’s international marketing resources. [xxvi]

 

Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! [xxix]

On 20 March 2014 Lionsgate extended its contract with producer Grindstone Entertainment Group through a multi-year agreement. The team has been successful in the past with films like Empire State and Frozen Ground. Lionsgate Co-COO Steve Beeks said that Lionsgate is excited about the extension. [xxviii]

 
 
 

What’s to Come:

Lionsgate will release its newest film, The Quiet Ones, on 25 April 2014.  The film, based on a true story, directed by John Pogue, and starring Jared Harris and Sam Claflin, tells the story of a professor and a group of students who uncover terrible secrets when they experiment on a young girl.[xxx]

Photo Courtesy of IMDb [xxxi]

Reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes seem to be mixed, so it should be interesting to see how the film does in theatres. [xxxii]

 

 

Photo Courtesy of IMDb [xxxiv]

 

Photo Courtesy of IMDb [xxxvi]

 
 
 
 
 

Photo Courtesy of itk.ua [xxxix]

In addition to releasing three new films, Lionsgate will be recognized as the Company of Distinction for 2014 at the Banff World Media Festival (8-11 June 2014). [xxxvii] Lionsgate will be receiving this award because of its success, its diverse programming, and its “visionary approach to the global television business.” [xxxviii]

 
 
 
 
 

[i] Lionsgate Logo  From 26 July 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[ii] Lionsgate Contact  Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[iii] Founded From 24 Jan 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[iv] What Liongate does Updated 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[v] Merging with Artisan and Summit From 24 Jan 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[vi] Blockbuster Film Franchises Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[vii] Distribution Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[viiii] Key Executives Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[ix] 2013 Gross Income Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[x] 2014 Income Until April 13. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xi] Employees Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xii] 2014 Films Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xiii] Divergent Synopsis Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xiv] Divergent Poster Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xv] Divergent Financials As of 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xvi] Divergent’s Future From 15 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xvii] Draft Day Synopsis Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xviii] Draft Day Opening Week As of 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xix] Tyler Perry’s the Single Moms Club Synopsis Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xx] Tyler Perry Financials As of 17 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xxi] Joe Synopsis Retrieved 20 April 2014.

[xxii] Joe On Demand Retrieved 20 April 2014.

[xxiii] Joe Financials As of 20 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.

[xxiv] Joe Ratings As of 20 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.

[xxv] Joe Poster Retrieved 20 April 2014.

[xxvi] RocketJump Studios From 14 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xxvii] RocketJump Logo Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xxviii] Grindstone Extension 20 March 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xxix] Grindstone Logo Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[xxx] The Quiet Ones Synopsis Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxi] The Quiet Ones Poster  Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxii] The Quiet Ones Reviews As of 19 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxiii] Step Up: All In Synopsis Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxiv] Step Up: All In Poster  Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxv] The Expendables 3 Synopsis Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxvi] The Expendables Poster Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxvii] “Company of Distinction for 2014” From 27 March 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxviii] Why Receiving Award  Retrieved 19 April 2014.

[xxxix] Banff Logo Retrieved 19 April 2014.