Lionsgate

What does Lionsgate own?
Lionsgate Studios Corp. owns Lionsgate Films (film production and distribution), Lionsgate Television (TV production), a content library of approximately 20,000 titles, and 3 Arts Entertainment, a talent management and production company. Key franchises include The Hunger Games, John Wick, and Saw. STARZ is now a separate publicly traded company (Nasdaq: STRZ) as of May 2025.

Is Lionsgate publicly traded?
Yes, Lionsgate Studios Corp. trades on the NYSE under ticker symbol LION. Following the May 2025 separation, STARZ Entertainment Corp. trades independently on Nasdaq under STRZ. The former dual-class share structure has been collapsed into a single class of stock.

When was Lionsgate founded?
Lionsgate was founded in 1997 by Frank Giustra as a small film distribution company in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company relocated its headquarters to Santa Monica, California in 2003.

What is STARZ?
STARZ is a premium cable network and streaming service that was part of Lionsgate from 2016 until May 2025. STARZ is now an independent publicly traded company (Nasdaq: STRZ) called STARZ Entertainment Corp., led by President and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch. It has approximately 20 million subscribers in the United States and Canada and competes with HBO/Max, Showtime, and other premium services.

What are Lionsgate's biggest film franchises?
Lionsgate's biggest franchises include The Hunger Games (approximately $3 billion global box office across 5 films), John Wick (4 films plus the Ballerina spin-off), and Saw (10+ films). The company also owns the Twilight franchise (acquired through Summit Entertainment in 2012).

What was the Lionsgate STARZ separation?
On May 7, 2025, Lionsgate completed the full separation of its studio and STARZ businesses into two standalone, publicly traded companies. Lionsgate Studios Corp. trades on NYSE under LION, and STARZ Entertainment Corp. trades on Nasdaq under STRZ. The separation was approved by over 99% of shareholders. The two companies maintain ongoing content partnerships.

Lionsgate was founded in 1997 by Frank Giustra as a small film distribution company in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Giustra, a Canadian financier, established the company with the vision of creating an independent studio that could compete with major Hollywood studios while maintaining creative flexibility.

In its early years, Lionsgate focused on acquiring and distributing independent films. The company went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1997 and later listed on the NYSE. Lionsgate acquired Trimark Pictures in 2000 and Artisan Entertainment in 2003, significantly expanding its film library and distribution capabilities. The Artisan acquisition brought the Blair Witch Project franchise and other valuable properties.

In 2003, Lionsgate relocated its headquarters to Santa Monica, California, positioning itself closer to Hollywood's entertainment industry. The company began producing its own films rather than solely distributing acquired content.

Lionsgate's breakout success came with the Saw horror franchise, which launched in 2004 and became one of the most profitable film franchises in history relative to its production budgets. The franchise demonstrated Lionsgate's ability to develop low-budget genre films into major commercial successes.

The company's most significant commercial achievement was The Hunger Games franchise, based on Suzanne Collins' dystopian novels. The first Hunger Games film (2012) grossed approximately $694 million worldwide, and the four-film franchise grossed approximately $2.97 billion globally. The franchise established Lionsgate as a major Hollywood studio capable of producing blockbuster tentpole films.

In 2012, Lionsgate acquired Summit Entertainment for approximately $412 million, adding the Twilight franchise and other properties to its portfolio.

The most transformative acquisition came in December 2016, when Lionsgate acquired Starz Inc. for approximately $4.4 billion. The acquisition added the STARZ premium cable network and its international streaming service (STARZPLAY) to Lionsgate's portfolio, transforming the company from a film studio into a comprehensive entertainment company with a subscription revenue base.

In subsequent years, Lionsgate continued to develop successful franchises including John Wick (2014, starring Keanu Reeves), which became a major action franchise with four films and a spin-off (Ballerina). The company also produced the Knives Out mystery franchise (directed by Rian Johnson) and continued the Hunger Games franchise with a prequel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023).

In May 2025, Lionsgate completed the full separation of its studio and STARZ businesses, creating two standalone publicly traded companies. Lionsgate Studios Corp. trades on NYSE under LION, and STARZ Entertainment Corp. trades on Nasdaq under STRZ. The separation was approved by over 99% of both Class A and B shareholders at a special meeting on April 23, 2025. The former dual share structure was collapsed into a single class of stock.

In fiscal year 2026 (ended March 31, 2026), Lionsgate reported revenue of $2.63 billion and operating income of $97.1 million. The company released 24 films theatrically and achieved record trailing 12-month library revenue of $1.05 billion, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of record TTM library revenue. Motion Picture contributed 60.8% of revenue and Television Production contributed 39.2%. Amazon accounted for approximately 18% of total revenue in FY2026 through home entertainment licensing deals.

Lionsgate has faced scrutiny related to its corporate governance and strategic direction. The now-completed STARZ separation, finalized in May 2025, was a multi-year process that required careful execution. Some analysts and investors questioned whether the separation would create value or complicate the company's operations.

The company has also faced scrutiny related to its handling of sexual misconduct allegations in the entertainment industry, including allegations involving Harvey Weinstein (who was not a Lionsgate employee but had business relationships with the company).