SANTA MONICA, Calif., and VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lionsgate and Relativity Media's critically-acclaimed film 3:10 TO YUMA, starring Academy Award (R) winner Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol and Ben Foster, directed by Academy Award (R) winner James Mangold (WALK THE LINE), opened with guns blazing at the weekend box office, shooting its way to number one with an estimated $14.1 million at 2,652 theatres for a robust per location average of $5,317. Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio.
"All of our marketing, distribution, production and acquisition teams executed superbly in the challenging task of bringing this compelling, brilliantly acted and directed film to a diverse and discerning audience of moviegoers," said Tom Ortenberg, President of Lionsgate Theatrical Films. "Based on strong critical reviews, superb exit polls and a terrific opening weekend, 3:10 TO YUMA is well positioned for the tremendous commercial and critical success it deserves."
Based on an Elmore Leonard short story, the remake of the classic 1957 Western stars Academy Award (R) winner Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol and Ben Foster in the riveting action saga of a desperate, small-time rancher (Bale) who takes an assignment to transport a notorious outlaw (Crowe) to Yuma for imprisonment. In a fierce battle of guns and wills, the criminal tries to buy off the rancher with more money than he could ever imagine in exchange for letting him escape as the rancher fights temptation, the odds, adversity and the outlaw's gang of desperadoes in a compelling action adventure story that delivers powerful drama and brilliantly nuanced acting performances as well.
The film will be released wide in the U.K. next Friday, September 14, by Lionsgate U.K., with a worldwide rollout in other international territories to follow.
Produced by Relativity Media and Tree Line Film, 3:10 TO YUMA was written by Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, directed by Academy Award (R) winner James Mangold (WALK THE LINE), produced by Cathy Konrad and executive produced by Stuart Besser, Ryan Kavanaugh and Lynwood Spinks.
Lionsgate noted that 3:10 TO YUMA marked its second film to achieve a strong opening weekend box office performance in the past three weeks. WAR, starring Jet Li and Jason Statham, opened with nearly $10 million and has now grossed approximately $20 million at the domestic box office in its first 17 days of release. Lionsgate's upcoming slate includes the highly-anticipated comedy GOOD LUCK CHUCK, starring Jessica Alba and Dane Cook, opening on September 21; the next film in the Company's highly successful Tyler Perry franchise, WHY DID I GET MARRIED?, starring Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson and Jill Scott, opening October 12; and the next installment in its tremendously popular SAW franchise, SAW 4, opening October 26 for Halloween weekend.
Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning the 2006 Best Picture Academy Award (R) for CRASH, and the Company is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 11,000 motion picture titles and television episodes is a valuable source of recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.
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The matters discussed in this press release include forward-looking statements, including those regarding the timing of our upcoming film slate. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results in the future could differ materially and adversely from those described in the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the substantial investment of capital required to produce and market films and television series, increased costs for producing and marketing feature films, budget overruns, limitations imposed by our credit facilities, unpredictability of the commercial success of our motion pictures and television programming, the cost of defending our intellectual property, difficulties in integrating acquired businesses, technological changes and other trends affecting the entertainment industry, and the risk factors as set forth in Lionsgate's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 30, 2007. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect any future events or circumstances.
