Lionsgate has signed a long-term output agreement with Chinese streaming platform iQiyi, the two companies announced Tuesday.
iQiyi’s platform has over half a billion unique users in China. The company will now have exclusive Chinese streaming rights to Lionsgate theatrical titles covered by the agreement, and iQiyi will also be able to broadcast the titles and promote the studio’s content on its platform.
The deal includes movies like “Robin Hood” starring Jamie Foxx and Taron Egerton, “Patriots Day” starring Mark Wahlberg, “The Glass Castle” starring Brie Larson and Naomi Watts,” “American Assassin” starring Michael Keaton and Dylan O’Brien” and “Wonder,” starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.
iQiyi has been streaming Lionsgate films in China since last fall and served as the studio’s promotional partner earlier this year on “Now You See Me 2,” Lionsgate’s highest-grossing film at the Chinese box office.
The new deal will cover subscription (SVOD), transactional (TVOD) and advertising video-on-demand (AVOD).
“We’re delighted to expand our relationship with iQiyi, a world-class platform at the cutting edge of delivering premium quality films to online Chinese audiences,” said Lionsgate executive vice president of international sales Wendy Reeds. “We have collaborated with iQiyi on the promotion and distribution of some of our biggest releases in China, and our new agreement represents a great opportunity to bring a slate of blockbuster films and a deep portfolio of library titles to one of the largest and fastest-growing markets in the world.”
The agreement was negotiated for Lionsgate by Senior Vice President International Business & Legal Affairs Christian Perala.