Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), and Roku have closed a multiyear theatrical output deal for theatrically released Lionsgate films beginning with the studio’s 2022 theatrical releases. Under the terms of the agreement, THE ROKU CHANNEL will receive two separate windows for each film, the first of which provides exclusive rights to Lionsgate’s film slate immediately following its first window on STARZ.
The agreement will include properties such as the blockbuster JOHN WICK action franchise starring Keanu Reeves, EXPENDABLES 4, featuring an A-list cast of action stars, and BORDERLANDS, directed by Eli Roth and starring Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jack Black.
They also include director Kelly Fremon Craig’s ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET, produced by Academy Award winner James L. Brooks and adapted from the beloved Judy Blume classic, WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY, starring Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson in the follow-up to the breakout box office phenomenon WONDER and the Nicolas Cage starrer THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT.
“This agreement affirms the great demand for first-run studio movies across a broad array of platforms,” said Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television Distribution Jim Packer. “This partnership with The Roku Channel shows our ability to capitalize on opportunities in today’s complex television landscape with a multifaceted, layered approach that meets everyone’s needs.”
The Roku Channel has become more and more integral to Roku’s success over time as the company has shifted from a hardware-based company to a platform and advertising-based company by letting Roku in on the market for FASTS (Free Ad-Supported Streaming). The channel is home to a growing number of original films and TV shows with some home grown through partnerships with studios and others arriving after Roku bought the rights to QUIBI’s library after its quick demise.
