LIONSGATE RENEWS LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH GRINDSTONE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) has renewed its longstanding partnership with Grindstone Entertainment Group and entered new multiyear agreements with Grindstone President and CEO Barry Brooker and principal Stan Wertlieb, it was announced today by Lionsgate Worldwide Home Entertainment President Ron Schwartz.  The new deal extends a successful 12-year relationship between Lionsgate and Grindstone driven by a string of commercially successful, star-driven event films.

Grindstone has become a leader in delivering feature films for the fast-growing multiplatform streaming space.  The new agreement encompasses a slate of upcoming releases that includes the action thriller Force of Nature, starring Mel Gibson, Emile Hirsch and Kate Bosworth, the thriller Rogue, starring Transformers’ Megan Fox, the comedy Guest House, starring Pauly Shore, Aimee Teegarden, Mike Castle and Steve-O, and the thriller Hair of the Dog, starring Olympus Has Fallen’s Gerard Butler.

“This extension continues a longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship for both our companies,” said Schwartz.  “Barry and Stan are the best in the business and have built Grindstone into a home for great talent, exciting properties and a source of consistent profitability.  We look forward to expanding our partnership with one of the most innovative and recognizable brands in the multiplatform streaming space.” 

Schwartz noted that, in addition to its current and upcoming slate, Grindstone has also amassed a 500-title catalog of content during its 12-year partnership with the studio.

“Lionsgate provides an amazing global content platform for our films, and we look forward to extending and expanding our long and successful collaboration with Ron and his world-class team,” said Brooker and Wertlieb.  “Our relationships with leading producers, filmmakers and stars continues to drive our ability to distinguish ourselves as innovators in the current streaming environment, and we will continue to pivot to take advantage of the marketplace.  We will also continue to pursue a more global approach to our business as we work strategically with top content creators around the world.”

Recent Grindstone successes include the last two installments of the Escape Plan franchise, Escape Plan 2: Hades and Escape Plan 3: The Extractors, starring Sylvester Stallone, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Dave Bautista, and the thriller The Poison Rose, starring John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, Famke Janssen and Brendan Fraser.

The Grindstone management team of Brooker and Wertlieb has had a successful working collaboration for over 20 years.

ABOUT LIONSGATE

The first major new studio in decades, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a global content leader whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world. Lionsgate film and television properties also support a global network of location-based entertainment and other branded attractions as well as a robust video game business. Lionsgate’s content initiatives are backed by a nearly 17,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global sales and distribution infrastructure. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring and ground-breaking content created with special emphasis on the evolving patterns and diverse composition of the Company’s worldwide consumer base.

For further information, please contact:
Tiffany Olivares
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
310-255-3651
Tolivares@lionsgate.com

For corporate media inquiries, please contact:
Peter D. Wilkes
310-255-3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com

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SOURCE Lionsgate