SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading diversified global entertainment company, announced today that THE HUNGER GAMES, which has already grossed nearly $620 million at the worldwide box office, has been approved for release in China in the first half of June.
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The film will be released nationwide in China with both dubbed and subtitled prints by The China Film Group in conjunction with Lionsgate's promotional partner, Talent International. THE HUNGER GAMES will be one of the first Hollywood studio films to be released in China under the new blockbuster revenue sharing agreement announced in February that allows Western distributors to collect up to 25% of a film's receipts in China.
"THE HUNGER GAMES juggernaut continues to gain momentum around the world, and we're thrilled that we can now share the exciting first installment of THE HUNGER GAMES franchise with Chinese moviegoers in June," said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Patrick Wachsberger and Rob Friedman. "China is already one of the leading territories at the international box office, and the launch of THE HUNGER GAMES in this key market is another sign of the franchise's continuing emergence as a truly global phenomenon."
THE HUNGER GAMES has already grossed more than $380 million at the North American box office where it ranks 13th among the highest-grossing films of all time. It has grossed nearly $620 million worldwide with upcoming launches in China and Japan.
"We view China as an increasingly important market for our content in Asia," said Wendy Reeds, Executive Vice President of Content Sales & Distribution for Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), Lionsgate's venture with Saban Capital Group and Astro's Celestial Pictures in Asia. "The Chinese box office grew by more than 30% last year to over $2 billion, and THE HUNGER GAMES' approval for nationwide release in China is a major step in translating the enormous commercial potential of this huge market into reality."
About THE HUNGER GAMES
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains.
Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 36.5 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of primetime cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning "Mad Men," "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie," along with the powerful drama "Boss" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House of Payne," its spinoff "Meet the Browns," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Are We There Yet?"
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first installment of "The Hunger Games" franchise, whichhas already grossed more than $600 million at the worldwide box office, "The Expendables," "The Lincoln Lawyer,""Cabin In The Woods," "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" and "Margin Call." With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company now has the two leading young adult franchises - the blockbuster "Twilight Saga," which has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office, and "The Hunger Games." Recent Summit hits include "Red," "Letters to Juliet," "Knowing," the "Step Up" franchise and the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, "The Hurt Locker."
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 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.
For further information, please contact:
Peter D. Wilkes
310-255-3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
SOURCE Lionsgate
