Lionsgate has unveiled an eight-film sales slate, including “Now You See Me 3,” “My Little Pony: The Movie” and Mark Wahlberg’s “Patriots’ Day,” for the Cannes Film Festival.
The lineup includes Summit Entertainment/Black Label action drama “No Exit,” starring Josh Brolin and Miles Teller in the saga of firefighters who battled one of the most dangerous wildfires in history; “American Assassin,” starring Michael Keaton and based on Vince Flynn’s book series; and coming-of-age drama “Wonder,” starring Julia Roberts and Jacob Tremblay.
The slate includes two international titles — “Marrowbone,” which teams executive producer J.A. Bayona, producer Belen Atienza and writer-director Sergio G. Sanchez in the story of four children who hide from the world in a farm that holds a terrible secret; and China’s first 3D motion capture film, the fantasy adventure “L.O.R.D.,” writer-director Guo Jingming’s follow-up to his Tiny Times franchise.
“We are proud to bring to our distribution partners our deepest and most diverse Cannes slate of critically acclaimed, commercially exciting films ever,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Patrick Wachsberger and Rob Friedman and International Chief Operating Officer Andrew Kramer.
“Our portfolio of blockbuster franchises, big tentpole movies and star-driven event films showcases one of the greatest collections of creative talent in our studio’s history, and we believe that our slate will have tremendous resonance with global audiences for years to come.”
Lionsgate’s Cannes activities will also include a gala screening of Sean Penn’s drama “The Last Face,” starring Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem in a love story set against the backdrop of violent unrest in Africa.
“Patriots Day,” which centers on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, has been shooting in Boston and has a limited release on Dec. 21.
Lionsgate relies on pre-sales of foreign rights to finance its movies, which limits its average exposure to about $13 million per film. However, that strategy also can limit the potential upside on hit movies.
