Lionsgate Shares Rise on Positive Q4 Earnings

Lionsgate reported earnings for its fiscal 2018 fourth quarter on Thursday that were above Wall Street’s expectations.

The film and TV studio reported earnings of 41 cents per share for the quarter. Adjusted earnings were 25 cents per share, up from 28 cents per share during the same quarter a year ago. Analysts were expecting the company to report a loss of 4 cents per share, according to estimates gathered by Yahoo Finance.

Revenue for the quarter was $1.04 billion, down from the $1.26 billion Lionsgate reported last year, and just above analyst’s forecasted $1.03 billion.

The company said in a release that earnings benefited from the change in U.S. federal corporate tax rates.

Also Read: Nathan Kahane Named Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President

“Our strong quarter capped a successful year in which we exceeded our internal and consensus financial expectations with significant contributions across our film, television and Starz platforms,” Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said in a statement. “We enter fiscal 2019 well positioned to continue growing our worldwide content platform, deepening our key talent relationships, and rolling out Starz as a truly global consumer brand. Today I’m pleased to announce that we’ve taken a major step forward in this initiative by launching STARZPLAY branded channels in the UK and Germany on Amazon Prime Video.”

During the company’s earnings call Feltheimer said Lionsgate plans to roll the channel out to 15 more territories in the next 3 years.

Starz will also arrive on YouTube TV next month and on Hulu in October. Lionsgate is planning to invest heavily in Starz during its fiscal 2019, as well as its film division.

Lionsgate’s media networks saw revenue increase 5 percent to $1.53 billion due to strong over-the-top growth. The company said OTT subscribers, including Starz, increased 101 percent increase during the fiscal year.

Revenue for Lionsgate’s film division fell to $424.9 million in the quarter, compared with $654.0 million during the year-earlier period.

The entertainment company said film revenue dropped 11 percent in the full fiscal 2018 due to a smaller theatrical slate and tough comparisons considering last year included the Oscar-nominated hit “La La Land.”

TV production revenue for the year fell to $805 million, compared with $843 million in the prior year.

25 Summer Movies We're Dying to See, From 'Deadpool 2' to 'Ocean's 8' (Photos)

Summer 2018 is bringing a wealth of promising movies to the cineplex. TheWrap picked some of the buzziest that we're dying to see.
May 4: "Overboard"

A remake of the 1987 original starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, 2018's "Overboard" features Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez in reversed roles. Bob Fisher and Rob Greenberg directed.
Pantelion
May 4: "Tully"

The Charlize Theron-starrer was the secret screening at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and has been buzzy since. Mackenzie Davis, Ron Livingston and Mark Duplass also star.
May 11: "Life of the Party"

Melissa McCarthy stars as Deanna, who goes back to college after her husband unexpectedly leaves her. Maya Rudolph and Gillian Jacobs are sure to add a further level of hilarity to the film, which she co-wrote with her husband, Ben Falcone (who also directs).
New Line
May 18: "Deadpool 2"

The first "Deadpool" broke records and received stellar reviews, so we rellycan't wait for a sequel starring Josh Brolin as time-traveling mutant Cable. Oh, and Peter, who is there to help because he "saw the ad."
Fox
May 25: "Solo: A Star Wars Story"

Who isn't excited for another "Star Wars" movie, this time focusing on the young Han Solo? The stellar cast includes Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover and Emilia Clarke. And the buzz about director switchups and reshoots has raised the curiosity level.
Lucasfilm
June 8: "Ocean's 8"

Some of our favorite actresses are reprising one of our favorite franchises. The trailers have been great, and excitement for the film is on the rise. Bring it on, Sandy!
Warner Bros.
June 8: "Hotel Artemis"

A movie about a hospital that's just open for the biggest and baddest criminals? Count us in! Plus, the film boasts Jodie Foster, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, Jeff Goldblum, Jenny Slate and Sterling K. Brown.
WME Global
June 8: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

For fans of the iconic children's TV host Fred Rogers, this documentary will be a trip down memory lane.
June 8: "Hereditary"

"Hereditary" has been dubbed one of the scariest movies of all time and was a clear breakout from the Sundance Film Festival. And especially after the success of "A Quiet Place," it's clear Hollywood has an appetite for horror flicks.
A24
June 15: "Superfly"

"grown-ish" star Trevor Jackson stars in an update of the '70s blaxploitation film about a young Harlem drug-dealer, this time set in Atlanta among the thriving hip-hop scene.
Sony
June 15: "The Incredibles 2"

Fans have been waiting 14 years for the follow-up to the 2004 original. And footage at this year's CinemaCon got attendees even more amped.
Disney
June 22: "Under the Silver Lake"

Andrew Garfield returns in this crime thriller written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. His character becomes obsessed with a murder and a kidnapping. Jimmi Simpson, Riley Keough and Topher Grace also star.
A24
June 22: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"

The last film in the dino-franchise is the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time worldwide. And Chris Pratt looks to have his second blockbuster this year, after "Avengers: Infinity War."
Universal
June 29: "Sicario: Day of the Soldado"

Denis Villeneuve hands the directing reins to Stefano Sellima in this new crime thriller -- which shifts the focus to Benicio del Toro's former undercover agent in the drug wars along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Columbia
July 4: "The First Purge"

Don't we all want to know how the tradition of The Purge began? This movie looks terrifying and will make you want to look your doors at night.
Universal
July 6: "Ant-Man and the Wasp"

Let's be honest -- we're excited for any Marvel movie. Plus, early CinemaCon footage promised Evangeline Lilly will dominate the film and we really want to know why Paul Rudd's hero was MIA during "Infinity War."
Marvel
July 6: "Sorry to Bother You"

Boots Riley's sci-fi comedy sports a stellar cast including Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Patton Oswalt, Lakeith Stanfield, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun and Omari Hardwick -- and it's been on many people's radar since Sundance.
Annapurna
July 13: "Puzzle"

Kelly Macdonald shines in a rare leading role in this remake of an Argentine film about a competitive jigsaw puzzler. Like other films on this list, "Puzzle" also debuted at Sundance earlier this year to rave reviews.
Sony Pictures Classics
July 20: "Blindspotting"

Daveed Diggs’ racial drama was all anyone was talking about at Sundance earlier this year, with multiple studios embroiled in a bidding war for it until it went to Lionsgate.
July 27: "Mission: Impossible -- Fallout"

Photos and news about Tom Cruise doing crazy stunts for "Fallout" have been appearing everywhere for a while -- production was halted for months after he broke his ankle on the shoot. Plus, we were treated to Henry Cavill's CGI'd mustache in "Justice League" because of this movie, so there's a lot going for it.
Paramount
Aug. 3: "The Spy Who Dumped Me"

Who doesn't want to see Mila Kunis back in a comedy alongside one of the funniest women alive, Kate McKinnon?
Imagine Entertainment
Aug. 3: "The Miseducation of Cameron Post"

Chloe Grace Moretz stars in the film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, about a teenage girl forced into gay conversion therapy by her guardians.
Sundance
Aug. 10: "BlacKkKlansman"

Jordan Peele, Jason Blum and Spike Lee are teaming up for "BlacKkKlansman," a film that stars John David Washington as real-life Colorado Springs detective Ron Stallworth, the first African-American police officer who went undercover to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.
Getty Images
Aug. 17: "Crazy Rich Asians"

Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan and Ken Jeong star in an adaptation of Kevin Kwan's best-selling 2013 novel about a Chinese-American professor who joins her boyfriend for a wedding in high-society Singapore.
Warner Bros.
Aug. 17: "The Happytime Murders"

The film follows the puppet cast of a '80s TV show that gets murdered one by one. Tell us that doesn't sound enticing. Plus, the film sports a great cast -- Elizabeth Banks, Melissa McCarthy, Joel McHale, Maya Rudolph and Jimmy O. Yang.
STX