As Cinépix Cinépix was founded by
John Dunning and Andre Link in 1962. Cinépix, based in Montreal, was a Canadian independent motion picture company that released English- and French-language films in Canada and the United States. Initially a distribution company, Cinépix's first production was the 1969 erotic drama
Valérie, which earned $1 million at the box office. Cinépix produced early work by
David Cronenberg (
Shivers) and
Ivan Reitman (
Meatballs). The company also distributed art-house films including the grunge rock documentary
Hype,
Vincent Gallo's ''
Buffalo '66, and SICK: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist''. Cronenberg stated that "Cinépix was the Canadian version of
Roger Corman" and "in a way they were modelling themselves after him and also some European producers as well". From 1989 to 1994, Cinépix was partnered with
Famous Players in C/FP Distribution, which was renamed Cinépix Film Properties (C/FP). In 1994, Cinépix bought Famous Players' stake in the organization. By 1997, Cinépix had a New York–based American distribution arm and owned 56 percent of
Ciné-Groupe, an
animated film production company based in
Montreal. LGEC purchased Cinépix and kept its leadership. LGEC also purchased the Vancouver-based
North Shore Studios, which became Lions Gate Studios. Other notable films included
Affliction (1998),
Gods and Monsters (1998),
Dogma (1999),
O (2001),
Cube 2: Hypercube (2002),
Open Water (2003),
Saw (2004),
The Punisher (2004) and the
Michael Moore documentary
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), which had been the studio's highest-grossing film until the release of
The Hunger Games in 2012. Giustra left the firm in 2000. They decided to focus on the profits of videos and DVDs and began buying struggling firms that controlled large libraries. The two most notable acquisitions were
Trimark Holdings (650 titles) in 2000 The Trimark purchase also included
CinemaNow, a broadband streaming website, where Lionsgate could feature its own movies. Media Capital Technologies was Lionsgate's main co-financing partner from 2023 to 2025.
Further acquisitions On August 1, 2005, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp acquired the entire library of Modern Entertainment. On October 17, 2005, Lionsgate acquired
Redbus Film Distribution for $35 million and became
Lionsgate UK on February 23, 2006. Following this,
Zygi Kamasa, who co-founded Redbus with Simon Franks, became CEO of Lionsgate UK and Europe. In 2006, Lions Gate Studios was acquired by Bosa Developments, and later reverted back to its original North Shore name. In 2007, Joe Drake became Lionsgate's co-COO and motion picture group president. Lionsgate cut back its annual production by four in February 2009.
The Hunger Games grossed $68.3 million when it premiered at the US box office on March 23, 2012. At the time, it was the best opening day ever for a non-sequel and the fifth highest of all time. Of that total, $19.7 million was earned via Thursday midnight screenings. In its first weekend,
The Hunger Games grossed $152.5 million, making it Lionsgate's highest-grossing film after just three days. On January 13, 2012, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp acquired
Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the
Twilight and
Step Up series for $412.5 million. On May 3, 2012, Lionsgate Films made an agreement with
CodeBlack Enterprises' CEO Jeff Clanagan to create
CodeBlack Films, based at Lionsgate. Drake left in 2012 to found
Good Universe. On November 22, 2013, Lions Gate released
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In its opening weekend, the movie grossed $158 million at the US box office, surpassing its predecessor, which generated $150 million in its opening weekend. The film had a budget of $130 million, breaking even soon after its opening, and making it profitable. Critics highly praised the film; it received a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 89%. The third
Hunger Games film,
Mockingjay- Part 1, was released in 2014. The final film,
Mockingjay - Part 2, was released in 2015. On April 1, 2015, according to
Deadline, Lions Gate announced it has created its new label,
Lionsgate Premiere. This new label will handle up to 15 releases a year, targeting young audiences at theaters and digital outlets. The new label, part of the company's diversification effort, will incorporate Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment titles and then specialize in "innovative multiplatform and other release strategies" to reach "affinity audiences with branded content and targeted marketing." Marketing and Research SVP Jean McDowell will handle marketing, with distribution to be run by Adam Sorensen, who currently manages Western Sales. On May 2, 2016, according to
Deadline Hollywood, Lions Gate announced it has teaming with eight international companies to launch the GlobalGate Entertainment consortium. GlobalGate will produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world. Lionsgate said Monday it has partnered with international entertainment executives Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber to launch GlobalGate. Drake returned in October 2017 as Lionsgate's film group chairman. The company laid off staff for theatrical marketing and publicity in its New York office, and moved to end its participation as a partner in CodeBlack Films in January 2019. The cut backs were due to the failures of
Robin Hood, and the comedy
The Spy Who Dumped Me. In mid-2019, Lionsgate bid for a 49% stake in Miramax from Qatari company
beIN Media Group. This would have given Lionsgate worldwide distribution rights to the studio's 700 film library, as well as the rights to create future films based on Miramax properties. Lionsgate were considered a strong contender due to their familiarity with the Miramax library from previous temporary distribution deals. However, in September 2019, it was announced that Lionsgate had dropped out of the bidding, with the 49% Miramax stake eventually going to
ViacomCBS (now known as
Paramount Skydance), who paid $375 million for it. In 2022, Adam Fogelson joined the Motion Picture Group as vice chair, after leaving
STX Entertainment, reporting to Drake.
Post-spin-off In December 2023, Lionsgate closed its acquisition of Entertainment One (now
Lionsgate Canada), another Canadian-founded studio business. In Spring 2024, Lionsgate's film and studio businesses (including Lionsgate Films) was spun-off into the newly formed
Lionsgate Studios. On June 17, 2024, it was announced that Lionsgate will distribute
Francis Ford Coppola's independently made $120 million sci-fi epic
Megalopolis in North America (albeit without a marketing deal) after almost every distribution company in the United States declined due to its unconventional storytelling being difficult to promote, with a release date for the film set on September 27, 2024. Lionsgate had previously partnered with Coppola for the re-releases of his past films such as
The Conversation (1974),
Apocalypse Now (1979),
One from the Heart (1982) and
The Cotton Club (1984). ==Film library==