SANTA MONICA, Calif. and
VANCOUVER, British Columbia,
Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As
part of its strategy of establishing output agreements with leading
distributors around the world, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading
global entertainment company, has forged an output deal with
Russia's West Company for
distribution of Lionsgate titles in Russia and the other nations of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, the two companies
announced today.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110919/LA70620LOGO)
The announcement came on the heels of the blockbuster opening of
Summit Entertainment's THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 2,
which was distributed by West Company in Russia and the other CIS nations and grossed a
franchise-best $22 million in its
opening weekend in that territory, the best nonholiday opening day
in the territory's history and the second biggest opening in the
territory all time for any film. The film also drew three
million admissions in its opening weekend, more than any other film
in the territory's history.
"We're delighted to expand and extend Lionsgate's longstanding
relationship with West Company in what has become one of our top
territories," said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Rob
Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger.
"Our Lionsgate and Summit labels have both successfully partnered
with West Company on numerous films in the past, including the
blockbuster TWILIGHT franchise. 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."
"We're thrilled to continue working with Patrick, Rob and the
entire Lionsgate team," said Tigran Dokhalov, President of West
Company. "This output agreement provides us with a consistent
pipeline of some of the most commercially exciting films in the
world from a studio that has emerged as a major force in the global
marketplace."
West Company has previously partnered with Lionsgate on titles
such as WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING, POSSESSION, SILENT
HILL 2 and with Summit on the distribution of the TWILIGHT and STEP
UP franchises in the CIS as well as distribution of the upcoming
third party titles TRANSCENDENCE, PRISONERS, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES
and PAWN SACRIFICE.
The deal with West Company adds to Lionsgate's recent series of
output agreements with leading partners such as StudioCanal in
Germany, Nordisk in Scandinavia,
Alliance's Aurum Producciones S.A. in Spain, Metropolitan in France, Belga Films in Benelux and Roadshow
Films in Australia as well as a
joint venture distribution partnership with IDC in Latin America.
The deal was shepherded by Lionsgate Senior Vice President of
International Crystal Bourbeau and
Maitreya Yasuda, Lionsgate Executive Vice President of
International Contracts & Legal Affairs.
Summit Entertainment will continue its longstanding output
agreement with Central Partnership in the CIS. Lionsgate
acquired Summit in January 2012, but
the Lionsgate and Summit labels continue to operate on a separate
basis.
ABOUT LIONSGATE:
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong
and diversified presence in motion picture production and
distribution, television programming and syndication, home
entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new
channel platforms and international distribution and sales.
The Company has built a strong television presence in production of
primetime cable and broadcast network series, distribution and
syndication of programming and an array of channel assets.
Lionsgate currently has 25 shows on 18 networks spanning its
primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses,
including the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men, the critically
acclaimed series Weeds, Nurse Jackie, the new comedy Anger
Management, which has been picked up for another 90 episodes by FX,
the broadcast network series Nashville, which has been picked up for a full
22 episode season by ABC, the syndication successes Tyler Perry's House of Payne, its spinoff Meet
the Browns, The Wendy Williams Show, Are We There Yet? and the
upcoming Orange Is The New Black, an original series for
Netflix.
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent
successes as the blockbuster first installment of The Hunger Games
franchise, which grossed nearly $700
million at the worldwide box office, The Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which achieved the biggest worldwide
opening weekend in TWILIGHT franchise history, The Possession,
Sinister, The Expendables 2, The Cabin in the Woods, Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection and
Arbitrage. With the January
2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company has
now added the blockbuster Twilight Saga, which has grossed more
than $3.0 billion at the worldwide
box office, to its current slate, giving the Company the two
premier young adult franchises in the world. Recent Summit hits
include Red, Letters to Juliet, Knowing and the Academy
Award-winning Best Picture, The Hurt Locker.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in
box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate.
Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of
approximately 15,000 motion picture and television titles that is
an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the
foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses.
The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original,
daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
ABOUT WEST COMPANY:
West Company – a major independent
feature film distribution company in Russia and the CIS territories -- was founded
in 1994 by Tigran Dokhalov. The company has worked with Summit
Entertainment since 1995 on titles like Color Of Night, Tombstone,
Nixon, Evita, Up Close and Personal, Bound, American Pie and U-571.
The company owns one of the oldest video labels, West Video. The
company has had output relationships with Castle Rock (1996-1999),
Largo Entertainment (1995-2001), New Line International
(1997-1999), Miramax International (1998-2005) and TWC (2005-2008).
In 2012 West Company ranked number 6 in the Russian theatrical
market after all major studios with an approximate market share of
6%.
For Lionsgate corporate inquiries, please contact:
Peter D. Wilkes
310.255.3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
Kinley L. Cross
310.255.5114
kcross@lionsgate.com
For West Company, please contact:
Katerina Golovina
+7926 254 9127
golovina@westvideo.ru
SOURCE Lionsgate