SANTA MONICA, CA and PARIS, France, November 10, 2015 —
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, has
acquired the rights to the animated 3-D family adventure film Robinson Crusoe from Europe’s leading
studio STUDIOCANAL, it was announced today by Lionsgate Co-COO and Motion
Picture Group President Steve Beeks and STUDIOCANAL President of International
Distribution & Marketing Rodolphe Buet. The film will be released wide in the U.S. by
Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label in mid-2016 following STUDIOCANAL’S
European release.
The announcement
comes on the heels of Lionsgate’s acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to
the thrillers The Commuter, starring
Liam Neeson, and Our Kind of Traitor,
starring Ewan McGregor, from STUDIOCANAL last week as the two companies continue
to expand their multi-faceted partnership.
The animated film
brings to life the true story of Robinson Crusoe in 3D as seen through the eyes
of his quirky companions, including his larger-than-life parrot Tuesday who
dreams of exploring the world. The film
is directed by Ben Stassen
and Vincent Kesteloot and produced by nWave Pictures.
“Robinson Crusoe is a timeless adventure classic that has enthralled
families since it was first published and the exceptional quality of Ben and
Vincent’s 3-D animation will help introduce the story to a new generation,”
said Beeks. “STUDIOCANAL has become an important supplier of high profile,
branded event properties for our pipeline, and we’re thrilled to continue
expanding our relationship with them on a diverse and commercially exciting
roster of films.”
“Once again, we’re very excited
by the opportunity to tap Lionsgate’s marketing prowess and distribution
expertise in the U.S., and we know that they will be the perfect home for our
fresh take on the Robinson Crusoe story,” said Buet. “Our relationship has
continued to grow since we partnered on The
Last Exorcism, and we believe that our current line-up of films will
resonate with audiences for years to come.”
The partnership between
Lionsgate and STUDIOCANAL includes Lionsgate’s distribution of the prestigious STUDIOCANAL
library in North America, STUDIOCANAL’s distribution of Lionsgate films in
Germany and the companies’ operation of the Elevation Sales home entertainment joint
venture in the UK.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a premier next
generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in
motion picture production and distribution, television programming and
syndication, home entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms,
video games and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently has
more than 30 television shows on over 20 different networks spanning its
primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including the
critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black, the multiple
Emmy Award-winning drama Mad Men, the hit broadcast network series Nashville,
the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the acclaimed drama Manhattan
and the breakout series The Royals.
Its feature film business has
been fueled by such successes as the blockbuster first three installments of The
Hunger Games franchise, the first two installments of the Divergent
franchise, Sicario, The Age of Adaline, CBS/Lionsgate's The
DUFF, John Wick, Now You See Me, Roadside Attractions' Love
& Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Lionsgate/Codeblack Films' Addicted 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 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. www.lionsgate.com
ABOUT STUDIOCANAL
STUDIOCANAL is Europe’s leader
in production, right acquisition, distribution and international sales of
feature films and TV series.
STUDIOCANAL operates directly in
all three major European markets, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, as
well as in Australia and New Zealand. STUDIOCANAL is behind recent box office
hits like Paddington, Shaunthe Sheep and Non-Stop.
STUDIOCANAL has recently
expanded its role as a TV drama producer with the acquisition of Tandem
Communications, the German-based European leader in production and sales of
international TV series, and of the UK’s RED Production Company, a specialist
in quality, English-language TV series.
Additionally, STUDIOCANAL owns
one of the most important film libraries in the world, with more than 5,000
international titles.
STUDIOCANAL’s parent company,
CANAL+ Group, is fully-owned by Vivendi, a global media and content production
and distribution group.
Lionsgate contact:
Joanna Massey
310-255-3602
[email protected]
STUDIOCANAL contacts:
Antoine Banet-Rivet
+33 1 71 35 00 26
[email protected]
Gabrielle Tensorer
+33 1 71 35 10 81
[email protected]