Lionsgate Inks Raft Of Multimillion-Dollar Pre-Sales On Movie Slate Including ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel & ‘Dirty Dancing’ Sequel

Andreas Wiseman
·3 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate has finalised a raft of multimillion-dollar deals with international buyers for its upcoming movies, including The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the Dirty Dancing sequel.

The eye-catching pre-sales out of Cannes make for one of the studio’s best returns on a market slate. By our calculations, total business is likely to have pushed $100M.

Prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which will star Tom Bluth and Rachel Zegler, has sold to Leonine (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), Metropolitan (France), Village Roadshow (Australia/NZ), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Notorious (Italy), Vertice (Spain), Belga (Benelux), Eagle (Middle East), Noori (S. Korea & Vietnam), Pris (Portugal), ACME (Baltics), Spentzos (Greece), Myndform (Iceland), BG Films (Turkey), Kadokawa (Japan), Moviecloud (Taiwan), Pioneer (Philippines), PT Amero (Indonesia), Sahamongkol (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos), Intercontinental (Hong Kong) and Mongol (Mongolia).

More details and casting have been released about the film in recent weeks.

We heard about some eye-watering initial asks for the movie during the Cannes market with Germany alone initially set well beyond $20M. We gather the final pact for Germany wasn’t quite that high but the slate still drew some of the bigger sales to independent buyers at any market in the last few years. German mini-studio Leonine has struck multiple deals with Lionsgate in recent years, including earlier this year on a slate of movies including John Wick 4.

Lionsgate’s sequel Dirty Dancing, which we revealed a bunch of details about on the eve of Cannes, has also sold to Leonine (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), Metropolitan (France), Village Roadshow (Australia/NZ), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Notorious (Italy), DeAPlaneta (Spain), Just Entertainment (Benelux), Phars (Middle East), Monolith (Poland), Vertical (Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria), Blitz (Former Yugo), Pris (Portugal), ACME (Baltics), Greece (Spentzos), Sam Films (Iceland), BG Films (Turkey), Gaga (Japan), Moviecloud (Taiwan), Pioneer (Philippines), PT Amero (Indonesia), Sahamongkol (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos) and Mongol (Mongolia). The film is slated for a 2024 release.

Halle Berry thriller Mother Land from director Alejandro Aja and Stranger Things producer 21 Laps, has pre-sold to Leonine (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), Metropolitan (France), Village Roadshow (Australia/NZ), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Notorious (Italy), Vertice (Spain), Just Entertainment (Benelux), Phars (Middle East), Noori (S. Korea & Vietnam), Monolith (Poland), Blitz (Former Yugo), Pris (Portugal), ACME (Baltics), BG Films (Turkey), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Pioneer (Philippines), Sahamongkol (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos) and Mongol (Mongolia).

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Meanwhile, supernatural thriller Bagman, from producers Temple Hill and starring Sam Claflin,  has been snapped up by Leonine (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), Metropolitan (France), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Notorious (Italy), DeAPlaneta (Spain), Just Entertainment (Benelux), SR&Co (Middle East), Monolith (Poland), Blitz (Former Yugo), Pris (Portugal), Spentzos (Greece), ACME (Baltics), Sam Film (Iceland), BG Films (Turkey), Moviecloud (Taiwan), Pioneer (Philippines), PT Amero (Indonesia), Sahamongkol (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos), Intercontinental (Hong Kong), Shaw (Singapore) and Mongol (Mongolia).

Helen Lee-Kim, President of International, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said of the deals today: “There is enormous opportunity and energy in the global marketplace. Together with our partners, we have created extraordinary value on franchises such as The Hunger Games and Dirty Dancing and we are thrilled for their continued collaboration, support and commitment in expanding these iconic worlds. There is a thriving appetite for big branded properties and bold, original IP, and we’re excited to deliver such a diverse slate that will resonate with audiences everywhere.”

Lionsgate will distribute all four of the films in North America, UK and India, and in Latin America via its joint partnership with IDC.

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