Lionsgate Studios Corp.,simply known asLionsgate Studios,is a Canadian-American film and television production and distribution conglomerate majority-owned byStarz Entertainment,domiciled inVancouver,British Columbiaand primarily based inSanta Monica, California.[1]It was formed on May 14, 2024, after Lionsgate spun off its film and television businesses.[2]
 | |
 Lionsgate Studios headquarters in Santa Monica | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq:LION | |
| Predecessors |
|
| Founded | May 14, 2024 |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Owner | Starz Entertainment (87.2%) |
| Divisions |
|
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | investors |
Lionsgate Studios' portfolio includesLionsgate Canada(formerly known as Entertainment One),3 Arts Entertainment,Pilgrim Media Group,and a stake of joint ventureAmblin Partners.Through the namesakeLionsgate Filmsstudio, the company's filming division also releases films under theSummit EntertainmentandeOne Filmslabels.
Background
editFollowing the completion of acquisition ofEntertainment OnefromHasbroon December 27, 2023,Lionsgaterevealed its intention to split its film and television assets into its own company, whose Studios division would merge with aspecial-purpose acquisition companynamed Screaming Eagle Corporation to form a separate publicly traded company calledLionsgate Studios Corporation.The deal was closed on May 7, 2024, with the transaction setting a $4.6-billion value on Lionsgate Studios.
The company launched a week later on May 14, and began trading onNasdaqvia the stock symbol LION. Lionsgate remains its controlling shareholder, owning around 87% of it following the split. In January 2025, the studio announced its full separation for Starz.[3]
Films
editLionsgate Studios operates through its filming division,Lionsgate Films;which consists of its own in-house productions, as well as films under theSummit Entertainmentlabel, and from itsLionsgate Canadasubsidiary. The latter company, which was known as Entertainment One prior to its sale to Lionsgate, also houses the libraries of defunct production companies such asKoch Entertainment,Christal Films,Alliance Atlantis(from the merger of its former existence asAlliance CommunicationsandAtlantis Communications),Salter Street Films,Cineplex Odeon FilmsandPhase 4 Films.
Lionsgate Studios' library features titles from several defunct studios, including:Trimark Pictures(acquired in 2000),Artisan Entertainment(acquired in 2003 and with itVestron Pictureswhich Artisan acquired in 1991),Starz Distribution(acquired by Lionsgate in 2016, which includes the libraries ofAnchor Bay Entertainment,Overture Films,the pre-2015Film Romanlibrary and in-house content by Starz and it's predecessor IDT Entertainment), the library ofHearst's entertainment division,Tribune Entertainment(throughDebmar-Mercury),American Zoetrope(distribution deal in 2010, with certain exceptions), Modern Entertainment (library acquired in 2005), the assets ofThe Weinstein CompanyandDimension Films(post-2005 titles only; through its 18.9% stake inSpyglass Media Group).
Lionsgate Studios' complete ownership depends on various and/or specific global licensing.
Home Entertainment
edit | |
| Formerly | C/FP Video (1989–1994) CFP Video (1994–1998) Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (1998–2000) Lions Gate Home Entertainment (2000–2006) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Home video |
| Predecessors |
|
| Founded | October 21, 1989 |
| Defunct | June 24, 2024 |
| Headquarters | 2700 Colorado Avenue,Santa Monica, California ,U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | |
| Services | Film distribution |
| Parent | Lionsgate Studios |
| Divisions |
|
| Website | lionsgate |
Lionsgate's movies have been released onDVD,Blu-rayandUltra HD Blu-ray,as well as on thePSPthroughUniversal Media Disc.
Their releases are currently distributed bySony Pictures Home Entertainment,who has released the company's content on home video since 2021, following the expiration of their deal with20th Century Home Entertainment.
Early history
editAudiovisual releases from or by Lions Gate were previously distributed by Universal Studios Home Video (nowUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment) and Columbia TriStar Home Video (nowSony Pictures Home Entertainment). Lions Gate Films would eventually create two home video labels: Avalanche Home Entertainment, which released smaller Canadian B-movies on video and DVD; and Sterling Home Entertainment (a joint venture with Scanbox International, a Danish film company), which released American low-budget movies on video and DVD in the late 1990s. In June 2000, Lions Gate boughtTrimark Picturesand merged its in-house home video unit with those of Avalanche and Sterling to formLions Gate Home Entertainmentthe following year, i.e. in 2001.
After the acquisition, Sterling Home Entertainment was then renamed Studio Home Entertainment, which later folded into Lionsgate.[4]Lions Gate boughtArtisan Entertainmentin 2003 and folded it into its Family Entertainment section of its Home Entertainment division the following year.
With a library of more than 8,000 films and although founded to distribute in-house productions, LGHE also previously distributed productions featuringBarbiefromMattelandClifford the Big Red DogfromScholastic Corporation,Stickin' Aroundvideos fromNelvanaandMGA Entertainmentproductions.[5]Lionsgate Home Entertainment also previously distributed videos from the home entertainment division ofthe Jim Henson Company[6]until 2012 when Henson signed a deal withGaiam Vivendi Entertainment.With the acquisition of Artisan, LGHE also released the back catalog ofITC Entertainmentuntil 2013, when ITC's successor-in-interestITV Studios Global Entertainmentsigned a deal with Shout! Factory (nowShout! Studios).
In 2001, in Quebec it was renamed Crystal Films, and in Ontario and other provinces,Maple Pictures.
Further deals
editIn August 2001, Lions Gate Home Entertainment signed a deal withDIC Entertainmentto distribute their back catalogue of animated titles on video and DVD in the United States, replacing DIC's long time partnerBuena Vista Home Entertainment.[7]The partnership only lasted a year, as in 2003 DIC started to distribute their shows through theSterling Entertainment Group(unrelated to the ex-Lionsgate subsidiary Sterling Home Entertainment) and later other distribution companies like Shout! Factory (nowShout! Studios), 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (now20th Century Home Entertainment) and NCircle Entertainment.
In 2008, Lionsgate Home Entertainment contracted withHIT Entertainmentfor DVD distribution in the US after its contract with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment expired,[8]which ended in 2014 and got transferred toUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment.[9]
On August 4, 2008, Lionsgate announced a deal withWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainmentto acquire the distribution rights to several Touchstone Television/ABC Studios (nowABC Signature) shows includingAccording to Jim,Reaper,Hope & Faith,8 Simple RulesandBoy Meets World.[10]
In 2009,American Greetingsstruck a deal with Lionsgate to release its audiovisual content on DVD after its deal with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment ended,[11]with the exception ofStrawberry Shortcake,as it was a prior deal made in 2003 between 20th Century Fox and American Greetings.
Until 2012, Lionsgate also distributed most of the theatrical properties held byRepublic Pictureson DVD under license fromParamount Pictures.The deal also expanded to include some non-marquee films originally released by Paramount themselves. Recently, with the folding of Republic, Lionsgate's function was transferred to Olive Films (and laterKino Lorber).
On February 11, 2011, Lionsgate andStudioCanalmade an agreement to release 550 films fromMiramaxglobally, replacing long time partner Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment at the time when Miramax was owned by the Walt Disney Company.[12]It was transferred toParamount Home Entertainmentin April 2020 after the acquisition of a 49% stake in Miramax by PHE's parent companyParamount Global(at the time known asViacomCBS).
With Lionsgate acquiringSummit Entertainmentin 2012, its home entertainment division took over its home video releasing rights.
On December 8, 2016, Lionsgate acquiredStarz Inc.,which includes the North American branches ofManga Entertainmentand the first incarnation ofAnchor Bay Entertainment.[13]Shortly after acquisition, Anchor Bay was folded into Lionsgate Home Entertainment and Manga is planned to be relaunched in the near future.[14]Anchor Bay Entertainment would be revived by co-founders of Umbrelic Entertainment, Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz, on February 15, 2024, as a production company for "genre films, undiscovered treasures, cult classics and remastered catalog releases".[15][16]
On June 30, 2021, Lionsgate's North American distribution deal with20th Century Home Entertainmentexpired and was taken overSony Pictures Home Entertainmentas of July 1, 2021.[17]
After Lionsgate completed its acquisition of Entertainment One (eOne), nowLionsgate Canada,on December 27, 2023, its home entertainment division started distributing its physical releases worldwide.
On June 24, 2024, it was reported that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment had entered into a distribution deal withStudio Distribution Servicesto handle the physical distribution of titles fromSony Pictures(Columbia Pictures,TriStar Pictures,Screen Gems,Crunchyroll, LLC,etc.) as well as Lionsgate,Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment(Walt Disney Pictures,Marvel Studios,Lucasfilm Ltd.,20th Century Studios,etc.) andThe Criterion Collectionthrough their existing distribution deals with SPHE.[18]
Television
editLionsgate Televisionis the television arm of Lionsgate and Lionsgate Studios established in July 1997 and has produced such series asNashville,Anger Management,The Dead Zone,5ive Days to Midnight,Weeds,Nurse Jackie,BossandMad Men.
Lionsgate later acquired TV syndication firmDebmar-Mercuryon July 12, 2006[19]withCBS Media Ventures,at the time known asCBS Television Distribution,handling ad-sales, with the exception ofMeet the Browns,which was rather co-distributed by Turner Television/Warner Bros. Domestic Television DistributionandDisney–ABC Domestic Televisionrather handling its ad-sales).
In March 2013, Lionsgate signed with Mars One, a Dutch nonprofit with space agency and aerospace backers intent on colonizing Mars, to produce a reality TV show.[20]
On August 6, 2018, Lionsgate signed a first-look television development agreement withUniversal Music Group.[21]
With the acquisition of Entertainment One on December 27, 2023, Lionsgate restructured eOne's television assets and folded them into Lionsgate Television, creating in the processLionsgate Alternative Televisionon January 14, 2024, which produces and distributes Lionsgate's unscripted television shows.[22]
Studio complexes
editLionsgate Studios Yonkers
editOn September 5, 2019, Great Point Capital Management signed a deal with Lionsgate to build a new production facility inYonkers, New York,with Lionsgate becoming a long-term anchor tenant and investor. As the anchor tenant, Lionsgate will have naming rights to the studio. Construction on the site will start in November, and the facility will be running in late autumn 2020. The $100 million complex will include three 20,000-square-feet and two 10,000-square-feet stages, a fully operational back lot and the opportunity to create a location-based entertainment property.
The studio, will be built next to the former Otis Elevator Company building in Getty Square and is expected to provide 420 new jobs in Yonkers, the developers said. They received numerous tax breaks and exemptions to build the project. National Resources will be an investment partner and project developer, responsible for all phases of design and construction of the studio complex.[23]
On April 8, 2020, it was announced that the developers locked down $60 million in financing while the rest of the $40 million in the second phase of the project will be anchored by entertainment firm Lionsgate.[24]
Lionsgate Newark studio
editIn 2022, the city ofNewark, New Jerseyannounced that a major new film and television production studio overlookingWeequahic ParkandWeequahic Golf Course,Lionsgate Newark Studioswould open in 2024 on the 15-acre formerSeth Boyden housing projectssite at 101 Center Terrace in theDaytonsection of the city nearEvergreen Cemetery.Lionsgate Newark will partner on public relations and community affairs with theNew Jersey Performing Arts Center.[25][26][27]
References
edit- ^"10-Q".U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.RetrievedSeptember 22,2024.
- ^Cobb, Kayla (May 14, 2024)."Lionsgate Studios Starts Trading on Nasdaq as Split From Starz Continues".TheWrap.RetrievedMay 15,2024.
- ^Goldsmith, Jill (January 27, 2025)."Lionsgate Nears Separation Of Studio And Starz".Deadline.RetrievedJanuary 28,2025.
- ^Harris, Dana (October 24, 2000)."VCL munches Danish distrib Scanbox".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on October 22, 2021.RetrievedOctober 22,2021.
- ^"Lionsgate, MGA Entertainment seal distribution deal".Business Of Cinema.June 2, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon July 8, 2011.RetrievedMarch 4,2011.
- ^"Jim Henson Company & Lionsgate ink home entertainment distribution deal".Business Of Cinema.June 2, 2008.RetrievedMarch 4,2011.
- ^DeMott, Rick (June 17, 2001)."DIC Teams With Lions Gate In Home Video Deal".Animation World Network.Archivedfrom the original on September 26, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 26,2021.
- ^Arnold, Thomas K. (March 25, 2008)."Lionsgate joins the HIT parade".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on June 27, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 26,2021.
- ^McLean, Thomas J. (May 2, 2014)."HIT Taps Universal for Home Entertainment Distribution".Animation Magazine.RetrievedMay 7,2014.
- ^"Lionsgate to Distribute Select Disney Shows".Home Media Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2009.RetrievedNovember 17,2008.
- ^Suttel, Scott (January 7, 2009)."Film company Lionsgate extends relationship with American Greetings".Crains Cleveland.RetrievedJune 3,2010.
- ^"Lionsgate, Studiocanal and Miramax Enter Into Home Entertainment Distribution Agreements".Yahoo! Finance.February 11, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon February 16, 2011.RetrievedApril 13,2011.
- ^Lieberman, David (December 8, 2016)."Lionsgate Closes Deal To Buy Starz".Deadline Hollywood.Penske Media Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on December 9, 2016.RetrievedDecember 9,2016.
- ^"Manga".Manga.Archivedfrom the original on September 26, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 26,2021.
- ^D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 15, 2024)."Anchor Bay Entertainment Label Gets Revitalized; Sets 'Abruptio' & 'Dinner With Leatherface' As First Releases".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedFebruary 17,2024.
- ^Navarro, Meagan (February 16, 2024)."Anchor Bay Entertainment Label Resurrects with Puppet Horror 'Abruptio' and Doc 'Dinner with Leatherface'".Bloody Disgusting.RetrievedFebruary 17,2024.
- ^D'Allessaandro, Anthony (February 26, 2021)."Lionsgate Teams with Sony in New Multi-Year Home Entertainment Pact".Deadline Hollywood.Archived fromthe originalon September 26, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 26,2021.
- ^Hunt, Bill (June 24, 2024)."Paramount sets Bringing Out the Dead for 4K Ultra HD, plus Sony signs a new distribution deal with SDS that includes Lionsgate, Disney & 20th Century".thedigitalbits.com.RetrievedJune 25,2024.
- ^"Lionsgate Expands Into Television Syndication Business, Acquires Debmar-Mercury".Lionsgate.PR Newswire.July 12, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon June 30, 2017.RetrievedAugust 12,2015.
- ^Andreeva, Nellie (March 13, 2014)."Mission To Colonize Mars To Become Reality TV Series - Deadline".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on June 29, 2014.RetrievedAugust 12,2015.
- ^Milman, Lilly (August 6, 2018)."Lionsgate and Universal Music Sign Multi-Year Development Deal".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on August 6, 2018.RetrievedJune 3,2019.
- ^White, Peter (January 9, 2024)."Lionsgate Alternative TV Launches With eOne Assets, Hires Dirk Hoogstra".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedJune 8,2024.
- ^McNary, Dave (September 5, 2019)."Lionsgate Planning $100 Million New York Studio Complex".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on December 5, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 21,2020.
- ^"Developers of Lionsgate-anchored film studio lock down $60M in financing".The Real Deal.April 8, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2021.RetrievedNovember 3,2020.
- ^Tully, Tracey (May 17, 2022)."$100 Million Film Studio to Rise from Rubble of Ex-Public Housing Site".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
- ^"Lionsgate, Great Point Partner for Major New Jersey Studio Complex".May 17, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
- ^Strunsky, Steve (May 17, 2022)."Hollywood on Newark Bay? Officials say Lionsgate film & TV studio is coming to Brick City".New JerseyState Website.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.