MUMBAI: Lionsgate and Relativity Media have finalized a new multi-picture, multi-year deal under which Lionsgate will acquire US distribution rights for up to five Relativity Media productions per year.
The agreement builds upon the relationship established by the companies during the past two years, when they partnered on films like The Forbidden Kingdom, 3:10 To Yuma and The Bank Job.
Lionsgate president, Motion Picture Group, and co-COO Joe Drake said, "Ryan Kavanaugh and his colleagues at Relativity Media have built an extraordinary company that is one of the industry’s most prolific suppliers of broad-appeal, talent-driven motion pictures. This agreement solidifies the long-term relationship we built together through successful partnerships on films. We are thrilled to bring these new movies into the Lionsgate family, adding to the tally of first-rate productions that will define the Lionsgate release slate going forward."
Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh said, "This deal represents a big step in the evolution of a partnership between two forward-thinking companies. Lionsgate is defined by its keen ability to take smart risks on compelling films. Lionsgate treats its distribution of films as an owner, thinking creatively about how to approach every film uniquely and maximize the value of each and every project. These films are in great hands thanks to this relationship."
The first title to be released under the new agreement is Brothers directed by six-time Academy Award nominee Jim Sheridan. The movie stars Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman. Brothers is expected to be released by Lionsgate later this year. It will be followed by the supernatural thriller Season of The Witch and the action/comedy The Spy Next Door, both of which are currently in postproduction.
Directed by Dominic Sena, Season of the Witch stars Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman and introduces Claire Foy in the story of 14th Century knights transporting a girl suspected of being the witch who has spread the Black Plague. The movie marks Relativity’s first film in their output arrangement with Charles Roven’s Atlas Entertainment.
Directed by Brian Levant, The Spy Next Door stars Jackie Chan as a mild-mannered suburbanite who agrees to babysit his neighbor’s unruly kids, only to have them accidentally blow his cover as a secret agent. Additional titles will be announced at a future date.
