Patrick Wachsberger Headshot - P 2013
Robert MaxwellLionsgate set a company record for sales with its lineup of nine films in Cannes, the company said Wednesday.
It said one of its strongest slates ever, which included Mockingjay 1 and Mockingjay 2, the third and fourth installments of The Hunger Games, reached more than $250 million in sales.
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The figure surpassed last year’s mark by more than 50 percent, according to the company. It doesn’t include the expected revenue from territories where Lionsgate distributes directly, such as in the U.K., or via distribution partnerships such as its 50/50 joint venture with IDC in Latin America and its partnership with Universal Pictures in India.
The studio’s other Cannes titles include Roman Polanski‘s Venus in Fur, Step Up 5, Draft Day, The Last Witch Hunter and Lionsgate U.K.’s A Little Chaos.
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“Our strong performance at Cannes this year is attributable in part to the international framework we’ve set in place combining output deals around the world with self-distribution in key territories such as the U.K. and Latin America,” said Lionsgate motion picture group co-chair Patrick Wachsberger. “This infrastructure gives us enormous flexibility and is already delivering remarkable results.”
Lionsgate brought stars Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth and director Francis Lawrence to Cannes to tout The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It also showed a sneak preview of footage from one of its upcoming young adult franchises, Summit Entertainment’s Divergent.
Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
