LIONSGATE ANNOUNCES TWO MAJOR FILM DEALS FOR THE GERMAN-SPEAKING MARKET

Studiocanal Deal Expanded to Include Summit Entertainment Films in Germany Starting with Robin Hood: Origins

Tele München Gruppe to Distribute Lionsgate's Horse Soldiers, Kin and Down a Dark Hall in Germany

SANTA MONICA, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 16, 2016 /CNW/ -- Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, today announced that it has reached major deals with two leading distributors for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The Company announced that Studiocanal, which already distributes Lionsgate's films in Germany, has expanded its existing deal to also distribute features from the Company's Summit Entertainment label, beginning with Otto Bathurst's adventure film Robin Hood: Origins.  In addition, Lionsgate has pacted with German distributor Tele München Gruppe to distribute three eagerly-anticipated films from its slate, including the war action drama Horse Soldiers from Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the sci-fi thriller Kin from the Baker Brothers, and the thriller Down a Dark Hall from Twilight producer Stephenie Meyer.

"We have enjoyed tremendous partnerships with both Studiocanal and Tele München Gruppe for many years and are very pleased to be expanding those relationships," said Patrick Wachsberger, Chairman of Lionsgate's Motion Picture Group, Andrew Kramer, International Chief Operating Officer, and Wendy Reeds, Executive Vice President of International Sales, based in the Company's London office. "The slate of films we have this year for the international market is one of our best ever and our long-standing relationship with Tele München continues with three wonderful movies from exciting and incredibly talented filmmakers."

"We are thrilled to be strengthening our successful partnership with Lionsgate and are very excited to be working with Patrick Wachsberger and Erik Feig and their team on a wide range of films in the coming months, including American Assassin, Robin Hood: Origins and A Monster Calls," said Rodolphe Buet, President of Studiocanal's Distribution and Marketing. "Studiocanal Germany does a fantastic job collaborating closely with the talented Lionsgate marketing team to accompany their ever developing slate, and we'll all be dancing with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling when La La Land releases in Germany on 12th January 2017."

"We are very pleased to continue the close collaboration with the studio that dates to Lionsgate's financing more than 15 years ago and includes our distribution of Summit Entertainment's blockbuster Twilight Saga franchise," said Tele München Gruppe's Dr. Herbert Kloiber.  "We're proud to be handling three very commercially exciting upcoming films from the studio's AFM slate and believe they will resonate with our audiences throughout the German-speaking territories."

Studiocanal has established a strong track record for distributing Lionsgate films in Germany including all four chapters of the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, Sicario and the studio's Saw movies, the most successful long-running horror franchise of all time.  The companies' multifaceted relationship also includes Lionsgate's distribution of Studiocanal's vast library in North America and Lionsgate's North American distribution of Studiocanal's upcoming thriller The Commuter starring Liam Neeson.

Written by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Ted Tally (Best Adapted Screenplay, 1991 – The Silence of the Lambs; All the Pretty Horses) and Peter Craig (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 & 2, The Town), and based on New York Times bestselling author Doug Stanton's acclaimed non-fiction book, Horse Soldiers is the thrilling true story of the courageous soldiers who fought a 21st century battle with archaic means and won. Just weeks after the devastating September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., an elite Special Forces team is dropped into war-torn Afghanistan on a perilous, top-secret mission to join Afghans in beating back the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. Horse Soldiers tells the little-known story of how these 12 brave men - along with a small group of Afghan horsemen - changed the course of the war before most Americans even realized it had started. Chris Hemsworth (Thor film franchise, The Avengers film franchise), Michael Shannon (upcoming Nocturnal Animals, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Man of Steel), and Michael Peña (The Martian, Ant-Man, Fury) star in the film directed by Nicolai Fuglsig and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, National Treasure film franchise), Molly Smith (upcoming Line of Fire, Sicario, The Blind Side), Thad Luckinbill (upcoming Line of Fire, Sicario), and Trent Luckinbill (upcoming Line of Fire, Sicario) with Executive Producer Chad Oman (Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, National Treasure film franchise) from Black Label Media and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

From the creative teams behind Stranger Things, the Night at the Museum film franchise and Room, Kin is a pulse-pounding crime thriller with a sci-fi twist, following the story of an unexpected hero destined for greatness. Starring Jack Reynor (Macbeth, Transformers: Age of Extinction), Academy Award® Nominee James Franco (Best Actor, 2010 - 127 Hours; Oz the Great and Powerful, Spring Breakers, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Zoë Kravitz (upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Divergent Series film franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road) and Dennis Quaid (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Vantage Point, The Day After Tomorrow), Kin is the story of a recently released ex-con and his adopted younger brother who are forced to go on the run, chased by a vengeful criminal, the feds and a cadre of otherworldly soldiers while their only protection is a found weapon of mysterious ancestry. Kin, which is based on the acclaimed short film Bag Man, is directed by Jonathan and Josh Baker, written by Daniel Casey, and produced by Shawn Levy (upcoming Arrival, Netflix's "Stranger Things", Real Steel, Night at the Museum 1 & 2)  and Dan Cohen (upcoming Arrival, Netflix's "Stranger Things"), Jeff Arkuss (Room), David Gross (Room), and Jesse Shapira (Room). Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment label is distributing.

Based on the popular young-adult novel by Lois Duncan, Down a Dark Hall stars Uma Thurman (Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Pulp Fiction), AnnaSophia Robb (TV's "The Carrie Diaries", Soul Surfer, Bridge to Terabithia), and Isabelle Fuhrman (The Hunger Games, Orphan) in a chilling supernatural thriller from the director of Buried, in which a group of troubled girls at an exclusive boarding school begins to display unusual gifts with frightening consequences. Directed by Rodrigo Cortés (Buried) and written by Mike Goldbach (Daydream Nation) and Chris Sparling (Buried), the film is produced by Wyck Godfrey (The Maze Runner film franchise, The Fault in Our Stars, The Twilight Saga), Marty Bowen (The Maze Runner film franchise, The Fault in Our Stars, The Twilight Saga), Stephenie Meyer (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 & 2), Adrián Guerra (Buried), and Meghan Hibbett (Austenland). Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment label is distributing.

ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, international distribution and sales, branded channel platforms, interactive ventures and games, and location-based entertainment.  The Company has nearly 80 television shows on 40 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses.  These include the ground-breaking hit series Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite drama series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the hit drama series The Royals, the Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual and the breakout success Greenleaf.

The Company's feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me and John Wick series, Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween, the critically-acclaimed Hacksaw Ridge, Nerve, CBS Films/Lionsgate's Hell or High Water, Sicario, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Codeblack Films' Addicted and breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates.  Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a 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. www.lionsgate.com

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