Tuesday November 24, 4:06 pm Eastern Time
SOURCE: Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
TORONTO, Nov. 24 /CNW-PRN/ - Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
AMEX/TSE: LGF
Adding to its growing library of films, Sterling Home Entertainment, a joint venture between Lions Gate Home Entertainment and Scanbox Asia Pacific, has acquired all North American video rights to the Jean-Claude Van Damme starrer, Legionnaire, it was announced today by company President Barry Brooker. With a production budget of about $35 million dollars, Legionnaire will have its world premiere on February 16, 1999 when it is released simultaneously on both home video and as a DVD-rom, the latter featuring an exclusive look at the making of the movie, rare archived footage and exclusive production notes with cast interviews. Since the company's inception just over seven months ago, Sterling Home Entertainment has become a leader in the video marketplace by strategically purchasing top films for distribution. Lions Gate Home Entertainment is the video distribution arm of Lions Gate Films, a division of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (AMEX/TSE:LGE).
Produced by Academy Award-winning producer Ed Pressman (The Crow, Wall Street), Legionnaire stars Van Damme in a period epic adventure of one man's journey into danger and redemption. Mixing the glitter and danger of 1920's Marseilles with the turbulence and disorder of colonial Morocco, Legionnaire is a suspenseful story of survival set against an explosive war saga and a compelling portrait of a group of men searching for new beginnings beyond their own broken dreams.
``Van Damme films on home video have always performed extremely well, and we are excited to add Legionnaire to our collection,'' states Brooker. ``This outstanding action film, headlined by one of the top action stars of our time, is the perfect compliment to our rapidly growing library of titles.''
Directed by Peter MacDonald (Mo' Money, Rambo III), Legionnaire co-stars Steven Berkoff (Beverly Hills Cop, Outland), Jim Carter (The Madness of King George, Richard III), Nicholas Farrell (Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, Othello) and Adewale Akinnuoy-Agbaje (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Congo).
Lions Gate Home Entertainment markets, sells and licenses films to cable and specialty channels, video retail outlets, pay television stations and airlines. The company maximizes its opportunity to generate significant cash flow through several low-risk activities and agreements including Sterling Home Entertainment, a 50% joint venture with Scanbox Asia Pacific, the Australian-based financing and production arm of Danish indie Scanbox Danmark.
Lions Gate Films Inc. is a production and distribution company operating under the Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. umbrella with a reputation for producing and distributing high-quality and critically acclaimed films for audiences around the world. The company maintains several operating divisions, including Lions Gate Productions, Lions Gate Releasing, Lions Gate International, Lions Gate Home Entertainment, Films Lions Gate and Avalanche Home Entertainment. Lions Gate Films has rapidly become a leading producer and distributor of both English and French-language films. With offices in Los Angeles, New York, Montreal and Toronto, Lions Gate Films has emerged as a dynamic force in the ever-changing global film marketplace.
LIONS GATE ENTERTAINMENT CORP. (AMEX/TSE:LGF). Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. is a fully integrated entertainment company. Through it six main divisions, Lions Gate develops, produces and distributes a wide range of film and television content, in both North America and around the world. Current television productions include Cupid (ABC), Rude Awakening (Showtime), and Oh, Baby (Lifetime). Popular animated programs, such as Bad Dog, Princess Sissi and Kit & Kaboodle, can be seen on television in several countries, including Canada and France. And now showing at select theaters in the US is the critically acclaimed feature film, Gods and Monsters, starring Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser.
SOURCE: Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.