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STERLING HOME ENTERTAINMENT CAPTURES
A LEGIONNAIRE
LIONS GATE'S Sterling Home Entertainment Inks Deal to Distribute
New Van Damme Film
TORONTO, November 24, 1998 - 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:LGF).
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.
www.lionsgate-ent.com
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