|
Family Reunion: Tyler Perry and Lionsgate Forge New Long-Term Partnership
SANTA MONICA, Calif., and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 23
-- LIONSGATE(R) (NYSE: LGF) Tyler Perry, the iconic
creative force who has been a member of the Lionsgate family since his
breakthrough theatrical box office hit DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN
revolutionized the filmed entertainment world in February 2005, has signed
a new three-year first look deal with Lionsgate covering his upcoming
theatrical and home entertainment product, it was announced today by
Lionsgate Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer and Perry.
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is the leading next generation filmed entertainment
studio.
Under the new agreement, Perry will provide at least three additional
feature films to Lionsgate following the fiscal 2009 release of Tyler
Perry's THE FAMILY THAT PREYS, slated for nationwide release on September
12, 2008, and Tyler Perry's MADEA GOES TO JAIL, based on his most popular
play and scheduled for nationwide release on February 20, 2009. Lionsgate
will also continue to distribute Perry's enormously popular DVD's based on
his hit films as well as from his large catalog of plays and other
material. Under the new pact, two of Perry's senior development executives
will be based at Lionsgate's Santa Monica, California corporate
headquarters.
Perry has already produced and marketed five feature films in his
uniquely successful partnership with Lionsgate, including DIARY OF A MAD
BLACK WOMAN (February 2005), MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION (February 2006),
DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS (February 2007), WHY DID I GET MARRIED? (October 2007)
and MEET THE BROWNS (March 2008), four of which opened at #1 at the weekend
box office. Tyler Perry's films for Lionsgate have cumulatively grossed
nearly a quarter of a billion dollars at the box office, and Lionsgate has
sold more than 25 million Tyler Perry DVD's. Lionsgate also distributes the
prolific Perry's hit television series "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" in
broadcast and first-run syndication on TBS and Fox (which begins airing
September 22, 2008) through its Debmar-Mercury television subsidiary.
"Tyler Perry defines the bold entrepreneurial spirit that sets
Lionsgate apart as a next generation studio connecting with audiences in
new and exciting ways," said Mike Paseornek, President of Motion Picture
Production for Lionsgate. "He is one of the most original, prolific and
successful creative voices in the entertainment world today, and we're
thrilled to extend this remarkable entrepreneurial partnership for another
three years. The Tyler Perry franchise is a unique global phenomenon, and
we're privileged to call Tyler a member of our Lionsgate family."
"Lionsgate has shared and nurtured my creative vision in a way that no
other studio could match," said Perry. "They continue to play a vital role
in bringing my messages to new audiences in new markets every single day
with unequalled marketing brilliance. I'm delighted to continue partnering
with them on a rich palette of exciting projects for years to come."
Tyler Perry's hit film MEET THE BROWNS debuted at the top of the DVD
charts two weeks ago. His hit television series "House of Payne" airs every
Wednesday on TBS and begins airing in syndication on September 22, 2008 on
Fox, and his next feature film, Tyler Perry's THE FAMILY THAT PREYS, will
be released nationwide on September 12, 2008. The new deal was negotiated
for Lionsgate by Lionsgate General Counsel and EVP Corporate Operations
Wayne Levin and for Tyler Perry by his lawyer Matt Johnson at Ziffren,
Brittenham, Branca Fischer, Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman, Cook, Johnson, Lande
& Wolff LLP and by his agent at The William Morris Agency.
ABOUT TYLER PERRY
Since making his film debut in 2005 with Lionsgate's DIARY OF A MAD
BLACK WOMAN, Tyler Perry has become a multimedia phenomenon with a roster
of hugely successful film, stage, television, and book projects. Four of
Perry's five films have debuted at number one at the North American box
office, and the films' combined theatrical gross is nearly a quarter of a
billion dollars. The combined net sales of his twelve DVDs total more than
25 million units. Perry began his career as a playwright with "I Know I've
Been Changed" in 1992; six years and many failed productions later, the
play became an overnight success after what was to have been its final
performance ever. Perry's nine produced plays to date have grossed tens of
millions of dollars and have set box office records in major venues across
the country, including the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and the Beacon
Theater in New York. Perry's first book, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off
Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Life and Love, debuted at
#1 on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list the week of
April 30, 2006, and was named both "Book of the Year" and "Humor Book of
the Year" at the October 2006 Quill Book Awards. This fall, Perry will
release his sixth film, THE FAMILY THAT PREYS, co-starring Alfre Woodard
and Kathy Bates. He will also unveil Tyler Perry Studios, a
200,000-square-foot studio situated on the former Delta Airlines campus in
Atlanta, GA, where his films and television show will be filmed.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is the leading next generation filmed entertainment studio
with a major presence in the production and distribution of motion
pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment,
video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company is leveraging
its content leadership and marketing expertise through a series of
partnerships that include the highly successful FEARNet branded VOD and
Internet horror channel with Sony and Comcast, the recent announcement of
the fall 2009 launch of a new premium entertainment channel with partners
Viacom, Paramount Pictures and MGM, investment in the leading young men's
digital distribution platform Break.com, ownership of the premier
independent television syndication company Debmar-Mercury LLC and an
alliance with independent filmed entertainment production and distribution
company Roadside Attractions. Lionsgate also has forged partnerships with
leading content creators, owners and distributors in key territories around
the world, including Televisa in the U.S. and Latin America, StudioCanal in
the UK, Hoyts and Sony in Australia and Eros International in India.
The Company has generated more than $450 million at the North American
theatrical box office in the past year and has released a string of hits
including THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, Tyler Perry's MEET THE BROWNS, THE BANK
JOB, RAMBO, THE EYE, SAW IV, Tyler Perry's WHY DID I GET MARRIED?, GOOD
LUCK CHUCK, 3:10 TO YUMA and WAR, most of which have opened at #1 or #2 at
the box office. The Company has also forged leadership positions in
television and home entertainment with the production of such
critically-acclaimed television series as "Weeds" and "Mad Men", the
distribution of "Tyler Perry's House of Payne", "Family Feud", "South
Park", "Trivial Pursuit" and "The Dead Zone", among others, and
approximately 8% market share and the industry's leading box office-to-DVD
conversion rate in home entertainment. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and
prolific library of approximately 12,000 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
brand is synonymous with entrepreneurial innovation and original, daring,
quality entertainment in markets around the globe.
|
