Lionsgate Studios Corp.
Company History
Lionsgate History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1997 in Santa Monica, California
When was Lionsgate founded?
Lionsgate was founded in 1997 in Santa Monica, California by Frank Giustra, making it 29 years old.
- Founded
- 1997
- Founding place
- Santa Monica, California
- Founders
- Frank Giustra
- Headquarters today
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Santa Monica, California, United States
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1997–2026)
- Current CEO
- Jon Feltheimer
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Lions Gate Films Founded |
| 2000 | Public Market Expansion |
| 2000 | Jon Feltheimer becomes CEO |
| 2003 | Artisan Entertainment Acquired |
| 2012 | The Hunger Games Launches |
| 2012 | Summit Entertainment Acquired |
| 2016 | Starz Acquisition |
| 2023 | eOne Acquired |
| 2024 | Lionsgate Studios Listed |
| 2025 | Starz Separation Completed |
| 2026 | FY2026 Revenue of $2.6318B |
| 2026 | Q1 FY2027 Revenue Up 48% |
- Where was Lionsgate founded?
- Lionsgate was founded in Santa Monica, California in 1997.
- Who founded Lionsgate?
- Lionsgate was founded by Frank Giustra.
- When did Lionsgate start?
- Lionsgate was founded in 1997.
- How old is Lionsgate?
- Lionsgate is 29 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Frank Giustra, a Vancouver financier, founded Lions Gate Films in 1997 to build a Canadian independent film company. It grew by buying distributors and libraries, including Trimark in 2000 and Artisan Entertainment in 2003, while releases such as American Psycho (2000) gave it a reputation for edgy, lower-budget films that bigger studios passed on.
Founders
Frank Giustra
Frank Giustra is a Canadian financier who founded Lions Gate Films in Vancouver in 1997. He built the company through acquisitions of production and distribution businesses before Jon Feltheimer and Michael Burns took over management in 2000. He later focused on mining investments and philanthropy, including the Radcliffe Foundation. Frank Giustra was born in 1957 in Greater Sudbury. Education: Douglas College. Giustra was born on August 22, 1957. He is a Canadian mining financier and philanthropist, chief executive of the Fiore Group of Companies and co-chair of the International Crisis Group. From 2001 to 2007 he chaired the merchant bank Endeavour Financial.
Key Milestones
Public Market Expansion
Lionsgate uses public-market access to build an independent studio platform.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJon Feltheimer becomes CEO
Jon Feltheimer became CEO of Lionsgate Studios in 2000. He built Lionsgate into the largest independent Hollywood studio by combining library acquisitions, owned franchises and selling content to outside networks and streamers.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgArtisan Entertainment Acquired
Lionsgate bought Artisan Entertainment in 2003.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSummit Entertainment Acquired
Lionsgate bought Summit Entertainment, the studio behind Twilight, in January 2012 for about $412.5 million.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgeOne Acquired
Lionsgate bought the eOne film and television business from Hasbro in December 2023.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLionsgate Studios Listed
Lionsgate listed its studio business separately as Lionsgate Studios in May 2024.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgStarz Separation Completed
Lionsgate and Starz become separate public companies.
Source: investors.lionsgate.comFY2026 Revenue of $2.6318B
Lionsgate Studios reports $2.6318 billion in FY2026 revenue, a $198.3 million net loss attributable to shareholders, and 916 full-time employees.
Source: sec.govQ1 FY2027 Revenue Up 48%
Lionsgate reports $776.6 million of quarterly revenue, driven by the billion-dollar box office of Michael.
Source: prnewswire.comMajor Acquisitions
Summit Entertainment
2012Added Summit's Twilight franchise and film slate, announced January 2012.
Starz Inc.
2016Added a premium pay-TV and streaming network for recurring subscription revenue.
Entertainment One (eOne) Assets
2023Bought Hasbro's eOne film and TV business to expand TV production and the library.
Keep researching Lionsgate
Lionsgate Company History FAQ
What are the major historical milestones of Lionsgate from 1997 to today?
Milestones include founding in Vancouver (1997), Jon Feltheimer becoming CEO (2000), acquiring Artisan (2003), Best Picture Oscar for Crash (2006), launch of The Hunger Games & acquiring Summit (2012), launch of John Wick (2014), acquiring Starz (2016), acquiring eOne (2023), and launching Lionsgate Studios on NASDAQ (2024).
How did the 2012 launch of 'The Hunger Games' transform Lionsgate into a global major studio?
In March 2012, Lionsgate released 'The Hunger Games', starring Jennifer Lawrence. The four-film franchise earned over $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, proving that an independent studio could successfully launch and monetize a global blockbuster franchise.
What was the 2006 Academy Award Best Picture victory for 'Crash'?
At the 78th Academy Awards in March 2006, Lionsgate's independent urban ensemble drama 'Crash' (directed by Paul Haggis) scored a historic upset by winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, marking Lionsgate's first Best Picture triumph.
How did 'John Wick' evolve from an indie action film in 2014 to a multi-billion-dollar franchise?
Released in 2014 on a modest $20 million budget starring Keanu Reeves, 'John Wick' became a critical sensation for its major stunt choreography ('gun-fu'), expanding into four blockbuster films, spinoff movies, and video games grossing over $1.0 billion.
What was the historic musical success of 'La La Land' in 2016?
In 2016, Lionsgate released Damien Chazelle's musical masterpiece 'La La Land', starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. The film grossed over $447 million worldwide and earned a record-tying 14 Academy Award nominations, winning 6 Oscars.
How did Lionsgate handle the streaming video revolution of the late 2010s?
Rather than spending tens of billions to compete directly in the money-losing general-entertainment streaming wars, Lionsgate positioned itself as the indispensable independent content arms dealer, licensing premium hit shows to Netflix, Apple, Amazon, and Peacock.
What was the landmark 2024 public listing of Lionsgate Studios on NASDAQ?
On May 14, 2024, Lionsgate Studios Corp. officially began trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol 'LION', completing the separation of its production studio and 20,000-title library from Starz.
What is Lionsgate's long-term vision for global entertainment?
Lionsgate's vision is to remain the world's leading independent content company, creating well-known films, hit television series, and immersive digital entertainment that captivate audiences across every screen, platform, and territory worldwide.
How did Lionsgate start?
Lionsgate (Lions Gate Entertainment) was founded in 1997 in Vancouver, Canada, by Frank Giustra, a highly wealthy Canadian investment banker. Instead of trying to build a massive, expensive Hollywood studio from scratch, Giustra used his massive capital to aggressively acquire small, struggling independent film distributors, instantly building a massive library of content to sell to early cable networks and DVD distributors.
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