SCI FI CHANNEL ACQUIRES EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO LIONS GATE TITLES INCLUDING NETWORK TELEVISION PREMIERES OF 'SAW,' 'ALONE IN THE DARK,' 'CABIN FEVER' AND 'HOUSE OF THE DEAD'
NEW YORK -- October 3, 2005 -- SCI FI Channel has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to several titles from Lions Gate Entertainment including the network television premieres of 'Saw' starring Cary Elwes and Danny Glover and 'Alone in the Dark' starring Christian Slater, Stephen Dorf and Tara Reid. The two films will premiere on SCI FI in 2007. In an unannounced deal earlier this year, SCI FI also acquired the rights to the network television premieres of Lions Gate's 'Cabin Fever' and 'House of the Dead' which are slated to air in 2006.
"We are extremely excited to have the premiere network windows for these Lions Gate titles," said Thomas Vitale, SCI FI's Senior Vice President of Programming. "We have a long history with them and their movies are always enjoyed by the audience of our highly successful Saturday night movie strand."
"We appreciate our great relationship with SCI FI," said Rand Stoll, executive vice president, television sales, Lions Gate Entertainment, "and believe these edge-of-your-seat thrillers will do very well on the network."
In 'Saw' (2004), Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell) wake up chained to pipes at opposite ends of a dirty utility room. They soon learn that they have become the victims of the Jigsaw, a serial killer who devises intricate situations to get his victims to kill each other. Pitted against the clock and each other, the two must work to outwit their captor and save Gordon's family who have been taken hostage by the killer.
Based on the highly popular video game, 'Alone in the Dark' stars Christian Slater as Edward Carnby, detective of the paranormal, investigating the recent death of a friend that brings him face to face with bizarre horrors that prove both psychologically disturbing and lethal. He discovers that evil demons worshiped by an ancient culture called the Abskani are planning on coming back to life in the 21st century to once again take over the world... and only he and a young genius anthropologist (and his ex-girlfriend), Aline Cedrac (Tara Reid), stand in their way.
'Cabin Fever' (2002) starring Rider Strong and Jordan Ladd, is an offbeat frightener about a group of five college friends on vacation at a remote mountain cabin when one contracts a flesh-eating virus. As it spreads among the group, their true feelings and personalities as they fight to survive the virus and each other.
'House of the Dead' (2003) tells the story of a group of college students who hire a boat to go to the rave of all raves on a mysterious deserted island. They get more then they bargained for when they arrive to find that the rave site has been demolished and killer zombies intent on feasting on the flesh of the living are stalking them. With only the few weapons smuggled by the boat's captain at their disposal and time running out, they take shelter in an ancient house where they uncover the mysterious secrets to the Isle de la Muerte. The film stars Jurgen Prochnow ('Air Force One'), Clint Howard ('Little Nicky'), Ellie Cornell ('Halloween 4' and '5'), Jonathan Cherry ('Final Destination II') and Enuka Okuma ('Double Jeopardy').
Other Lions Gate titles in the acquisition include 'Monster Man,' 'Rottweiler,' 'Leprechaun 3' and 'Leprechaun 4: In Space.'
Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE and TSX: LGF) is the premier independent producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library is a valuable source of stable and recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the continued growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lions Gate brand name is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 85 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.
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