Hostel screams to number one at the box

LIONSGATE NEWS RELEASE

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'Hostel' takeover at box office - Lionsgate's and Screen Gems' intense horror thriller Hostel lures estimated $20.1 million in opening weekend, ranking number 1 at domestic box office

Film is Lionsgate's second number 1 horror film in past three months

Theatrical release "Crash" and hit television series "Weeds" gaining momentum in recent critical kudos

SANTA MONICA, Calif., and VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 8-Hostel is a terrifying and disturbing place, except at the North American box office.

Lionsgate's (NYSE: LGF; Toronto) and Screen Gems' riveting horror thriller opened to an estimated $20.1 million this weekend, ranking number 1 at the domestic box office, it was announced today by Lionsgate Films Releasing President Tom Ortenberg.

The shockingly intense film, directed by Eli Roth (Lionsgate's Cabin Fever) and presented by Quentin Tarantino, galvanized audiences on 2,195 screens across America for a $9,157 per screen average.

Hostel is Lionsgate's second number 1 horror film at the North American box office in the past three months.

Saw II opened to $31.2 million on Halloween weekend 2005 on its way to a domestic box office gross of approximately $87 million.

It will debut on DVD on February 14.

Lionsgate noted that Hostel outperformed the $18 million opening weekend of the original SAW, which went on to gross $55 million at the North American box office in fall 2004.

"Eli Roth has once again delivered a horror film that is gory enough to delight hardcore horror fans and intelligent enough to attract wider audiences," said Ortenberg.

"Hostel plays to one of Lionsgate's sweet spots -- releasing some of the most provocative and disturbing genre pictures in the marketplace. Based on moviegoer reaction, we are delighted to have the first theatrical box office phenomenon of 2006."

Added Roth, "I feel so incredibly lucky that the public responded to a film this intense. It's an honor to be listed in the same box office column with my idols Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. I'm so grateful to my fantastic producing team, and to the incredible marketing and theatrical team at Lionsgate and Clint Culpepper at Screen Gems for working with me to make this possible."

Writer-director-producer Roth collaborated on the film with executive producers Tarantino, Scott Spiegel and Boaz Yakin, and producers Mike Fleiss (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Chris Briggs.

Hostel tells the story of two adventurous American college buddies who are backpacking through Europe and are lured to an out-of-the-way hostel in Slovakia.

Quickly, they find themselves trapped in an increasingly sinister situation, discovering that it is as wide and as deep as the darkest, sickest recess of human nature itself - if they survive.

The film stars Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Barbara Nedeljakova and Jana Kaderabkova.

The strong debut of Hostel capped off several recent weeks that have highlighted the breadth and quality of Lionsgate products.

The Company's critically-acclaimed box office hit Crash has now garnered important nominations from the major guilds, including a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Male Performance in a Supporting Role(Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon) and Outstanding Performance by a Cast, a Producers Guild Award nomination for Best Theatrical Motion Picture and a Writers Guild Award nomination for Best Screenplay.

Crash has also been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Performance by An Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Screenplay, five Broadcast Film Critics nominations (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director and Best Writer), and it was named the number 1 film of 2005 by film critic Roger Ebert.

In addition, Lionsgate's hit television series Weeds, the highest-rated series on Showtime, received nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, including Best TV Series - Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actress (Mary-Louise Parker) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Elizabeth Perkins), a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Actress in a Comedy Series and a Writers Guild Award nomination.

Another hit Lionsgate television series, Wildfire, made its second season debut on ABC Family last week with its highest ratings ever and the highest ratings in the network's history.

The first entry from Lionsgate's documentary division, Grizzly Man, released on DVD last week, has been named to 85 year-end top 10 film lists and has been named best nonfiction film of 2005 by the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Association and the LA Film Critics Association.

Hostel kicks off a 2006 Lionsgate theatrical release slate that includes the next film in the Company's Tyler Perry franchise, Madea's Family Reunion (February 24), the inspirational Akeelah and the Bee (April 28), and two more horror films – Hard Candy (April 14) and the horror thriller See No Evil (May 19), directed by Gregory Dark, starring WWE superstar Kane and Michael J. Pagan.

On the international front, Lionsgate will release George Clooney's critically-acclaimed Good Night, and Good Luck through its recently-acquired Redbus Distributors in the U.K. on February 17.

Lionsgate 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 recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the company's core businesses.

The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.

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