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Family Reunion: Tyler Perry and Lionsgate Forge New Long-Term Partnership

SANTA MONICA, Calif., andVANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LIONSGATE(R) (NYSE: LGF) Tyler Perry, the iconic creative force who has been a member of the Lionsgate family since his breakthrough theatrical box office hit DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN revolutionized the filmed entertainment world in February 2005, has signed a new three-year first look deal with Lionsgate covering his upcoming theatrical and home entertainment product, it was announced today by Lionsgate Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer and Perry. Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is the leading next generation filmed entertainment studio.

Under the new agreement, Perry will provide at least three additional feature films to Lionsgate following the fiscal 2009 release of Tyler Perry's THE FAMILY THAT PREYS, slated for nationwide release on September 12, 2008, and Tyler Perry's MADEA GOES TO JAIL, based on his most popular play and scheduled for nationwide release on February 20, 2009. Lionsgate will also continue to distribute Perry's enormously popular DVD's based on his hit films as well as from his large catalog of plays and other material. Under the new pact, two of Perry's senior development executives will be based at Lionsgate'sSanta Monica, California corporate headquarters.

Perry has already produced and marketed five feature films in his uniquely successful partnership with Lionsgate, including DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN (February 2005), MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION (February 2006), DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS (February 2007), WHY DID I GET MARRIED? (October 2007) and MEET THE BROWNS (March 2008), four of which opened at #1 at the weekend box office. Tyler Perry's films for Lionsgate have cumulatively grossed nearly a quarter of a billion dollars at the box office, and Lionsgate has sold more than 25 million Tyler Perry DVD's. Lionsgate also distributes the prolific Perry's hit television series "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" in broadcast and first-run syndication on TBS and Fox (which begins airing September 22, 2008) through its Debmar-Mercury television subsidiary.

"Tyler Perry defines the bold entrepreneurial spirit that sets Lionsgate apart as a next generation studio connecting with audiences in new and exciting ways," said Mike Paseornek, President of Motion Picture Production for Lionsgate. "He is one of the most original, prolific and successful creative voices in the entertainment world today, and we're thrilled to extend this remarkable entrepreneurial partnership for another three years. The Tyler Perry franchise is a unique global phenomenon, and we're privileged to call Tyler a member of our Lionsgate family."

"Lionsgate has shared and nurtured my creative vision in a way that no other studio could match," said Perry. "They continue to play a vital role in bringing my messages to new audiences in new markets every single day with unequalled marketing brilliance. I'm delighted to continue partnering with them on a rich palette of exciting projects for years to come."

Tyler Perry's hit film MEET THE BROWNS debuted at the top of the DVD charts two weeks ago. His hit television series "House of Payne" airs every Wednesday on TBS and begins airing in syndication on September 22, 2008 on Fox, and his next feature film, Tyler Perry's THE FAMILY THAT PREYS, will be released nationwide on September 12, 2008. The new deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Lionsgate General Counsel and EVP Corporate Operations Wayne Levin and for Tyler Perry by his lawyer Matt Johnson at Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca Fischer, Gilbert-Lurie Stiffelman, Cook, Johnson, Lande & Wolff LLP and by his agent at The William Morris Agency.

ABOUT TYLER PERRY

Since making his film debut in 2005 with Lionsgate's DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, Tyler Perry has become a multimedia phenomenon with a roster of hugely successful film, stage, television, and book projects. Four of Perry's five films have debuted at number one at the North American box office, and the films' combined theatrical gross is nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. The combined net sales of his twelve DVDs total more than 25 million units. Perry began his career as a playwright with "I Know I've Been Changed" in 1992; six years and many failed productions later, the play became an overnight success after what was to have been its final performance ever. Perry's nine produced plays to date have grossed tens of millions of dollars and have set box office records in major venues across the country, including the Kodak Theatre inLos Angeles and the Beacon Theater inNew York. Perry's first book, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Life and Love, debuted at #1 on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list the week of April 30, 2006, and was named both "Book of the Year" and "Humor Book of the Year" at the October 2006 Quill Book Awards. This fall, Perry will release his sixth film, THE FAMILY THAT PREYS, co-starring Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates. He will also unveil Tyler Perry Studios, a 200,000-square-foot studio situated on the former Delta Airlines campus inAtlanta, GA, where his films and television show will be filmed.

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate is the leading next generation filmed entertainment studio with a major presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company is leveraging its content leadership and marketing expertise through a series of partnerships that include the highly successful FEARNet branded VOD and Internet horror channel with Sony and Comcast, the recent announcement of the fall 2009 launch of a new premium entertainment channel with partners Viacom, Paramount Pictures and MGM, investment in the leading young men's digital distribution platform Break.com, ownership of the premier independent television syndication company Debmar-Mercury LLC and an alliance with independent filmed entertainment production and distribution company Roadside Attractions. Lionsgate also has forged partnerships with leading content creators, owners and distributors in key territories around the world, including Televisa in the U.S. andLatin America, StudioCanal in the UK, Hoyts and Sony inAustralia and Eros International inIndia.

The Company has generated more than $450 million at the North American theatrical box office in the past year and has released a string of hits including THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, Tyler Perry's MEET THE BROWNS, THE BANK JOB, RAMBO, THE EYE, SAW IV, Tyler Perry's WHY DID I GET MARRIED?, GOOD LUCK CHUCK, 3:10 TO YUMA and WAR, most of which have opened at #1 or #2 at the box office. The Company has also forged leadership positions in television and home entertainment with the production of such critically-acclaimed television series as "Weeds" and "Mad Men", the distribution of "Tyler Perry's House of Payne", "Family Feud", "South Park", "Trivial Pursuit" and "The Dead Zone", among others, and approximately 8% market share and the industry's leading box office-to-DVD conversion rate in home entertainment. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with entrepreneurial innovation and original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.

                           http://www.lionsgate.com

     For further information, please contact:
     Sarah Greenberg
     LIONSGATE
     310-255-3856
     sgreenberg@lionsgate.com

     For corporate inquiries, please contact:
     Peter D. Wilkes
     LIONSGATE
     310-255-3726
     pwilkes@lionsgate.com

SOURCE Lionsgate

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