LIONSGATE REPORTS RESULTS FOR FIRST QUARTER 2015

SANTA MONICA, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 7, 2014 /CNW/ -- Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) today reported revenue of $449.4 million, adjusted EBITDA of $77.3 million, adjusted net income of $49.6 million or $0.36 adjusted basic net income per share, net income of $43.3 million or $0.31 basic net income per share and free cash flow of $159.8 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2015 (quarter ended June 30, 2014).

"We're pleased to report strong adjusted EBITDA, earnings and free cash flow generation in what is historically our lightest quarter of the fiscal year," said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer.  "During the quarter we deepened our portfolio of brands and franchises, extended our global reach and formed entrepreneurial partnerships with digital and traditional platforms alike as we used our strengths as an innovative pure play content company to position ourselves for continued growth and profitability in an increasingly dynamic industry environment."

Adjusted EBITDA of $77.3 million for the quarter increased 27% from adjusted EBITDA of $60.8 million in the prior year quarter.  Adjusted EBITDA excluded an $11.4 million gain on the Company's sale of its interest in FEARnet, stock-based compensation and a $4.9 million restructuring charge associated with costs of the Company's relocation of its international sales operations to London, England and integration of the marketing operations of its Lionsgate and Summit film labels.  

Adjusted net income of $49.6 million or $0.36 adjusted basic net income per share for the quarter compared to adjusted net income of $25.1 million or $0.18 adjusted basic net income per share in the prior year quarter. 

Net income for the quarter was $43.3 million or $0.31 basic net income per share on 138.5 million weighted average number of common shares outstanding compared to $13.6 million or $0.10 basic net income per share on 136.2 million weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the prior year quarter.

Adjusted net income for the quarter benefitted from decreased interest expense and a lower effective tax rate compared to the prior year quarter.  EBITDA gains were driven by lower theatrical marketing costs in the quarter. 

Revenue of $449.4 million for the quarter compared to $569.7 million in the prior year quarter with only two wide theatrical releases in the quarter compared to three wide releases, including the blockbuster Now You See Me, in the prior year quarter.  Lower television production revenue reflected fewer deliveries of Mad Men (whose seventh season has been split).

During the quarter, the Company declared another quarterly dividend of $0.05 per common share payable on August 8, 2014 to shareholders of record as of June 30, 2014.

The Company noted that, since the December 17, 2013 increase in its share repurchase authorization to $300 million, it repurchased a total of 4.7 million common shares through July 25, 2014 at an average price of $26.70, totaling an aggregate of $126.4 million.

Lionsgate's filmed entertainment backlog, or already contracted future revenue not yet recorded, rose to a record $1.3 billion at June 30, 2014 compared to $1.2 billion at March 31, 2014.

Overall Motion Picture segment revenue for the quarter was $331.9 million compared to $438.6 million in the prior year quarter.  Within the Motion Picture segment, theatrical revenue declined to $42.7 million due to the theatrical slate composition discussed above.

Lionsgate's home entertainment revenue for the quarter was $140.9 million compared to $169.4 million in the prior year quarter as two wide release theatrical titles were released on home entertainment platforms in the quarter compared to five wide release theatrical titles in the prior year quarter.  The hit film Divergent launched to very strong numbers on packaged media, VOD and electronic sell-through platforms after the quarter.

Bolstered by television windows opening for the feature films Ender's Game and Red 2, television revenue included in the Motion Picture segment increased 60% in the quarter to $58.8 million compared to $36.8 million in the prior year quarter.

International Motion Picture segment revenue (excluding Lionsgate U.K.) for the quarter was $60.7 million compared to $79.1 million in the prior year quarter with three wide release titles in worldwide release compared to five in the prior year quarter.

Lionsgate U.K. posted revenue of $30.0 million in the quarter compared to $32.4 million in the prior year quarter. 

Revenue for the Television Production segment was $117.5 million in the quarter, a decrease from $131.1 million in the prior year quarter as strong international revenue driven by Anger Management, Orange is the New Black and Mad Men was offset by fewer domestic series deliveries due primarily to the timing of Mad Men episode deliveries.

Lionsgate senior management will hold its analyst and investor conference call to discuss its fiscal 2015 first quarter financial results at 9:00 A.M. ET/6:00 A.M. PT on Friday, August 8, 2014.  Interested parties may participate live in the conference call by calling 1-800-230-1085 (612-332-0107 outside the U.S. and Canada).  A full digital replay will be available from Friday morning, August 8 through Friday, August 15 by dialing 1-800-475-6701 (320-365-3844 outside the U.S. and Canada) and using access code 332282.

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company currently has over 30 television shows on more than 20 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, the broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show and the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first two installments of The Hunger Games franchise, the first installment of the recently-launched Divergent franchise, Now You See Me, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, Warm Bodies, The Possession, Sinister, Roadside Attractions' A Most Wanted Man and Pantelion Films' breakout hit Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. The Company handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 15,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

***

For further information, please contact:
Peter D. Wilkes
310-255-3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com

The matters discussed in this press release include forward-looking statements, including those regarding the performance of future fiscal years.  Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results in the future could differ materially and adversely from those described in the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the substantial investment of capital required to produce and market films and television series, increased costs for producing and marketing feature films and television series, budget overruns, limitations imposed by our credit facility and notes, unpredictability of the commercial success of our motion pictures and television programming, the cost of defending our intellectual property, difficulties in integrating acquired businesses, risks related to our acquisition strategy and integration of acquired businesses, the effects of disposition of businesses or assets, technological changes and other trends affecting the entertainment industry, and the risk factors as set forth in Lionsgate's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on May 29, 2014, as amended in Lionsgate's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 7, 2014,which risk factors are incorporated herein by reference.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect any future events or circumstances.

EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, income tax provision or benefit, and depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure.

Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA as defined above adjusted for stock-based compensation, restructuring charges, gain on sale of equity method investment, and loss on extinguishment of debt. Stock-based compensation represents compensation expenses associated with stock options, restricted share units and cash and equity settled stock appreciation rights ("SARs"). Restructuring charges primarily consist of severance costs associated with the integration of the marketing operations of our Lionsgate and Summit film labels and costs related to the move of our international sales and distribution organization to the United Kingdom. Gain on sale of equity method investment represents the gain on sale of our interest in FEARnet. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure.

Management believes EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to be meaningful indicators of our performance that provide useful information to investors regarding our financial condition and results of operations. Presentation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures commonly used in the entertainment industry and by financial analysts and others who follow the industry to measure operating performance. While management considers EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to be important measures of comparative operating performance, they should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, net income and other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect cash available to fund cash requirements. Not all companies calculate EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA in the same manner and the measures as presented may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures presented by other companies.

Free cash flow is defined as net cash flows used in operating activities, less purchases of property and equipment, plus or minus the net increase or decrease in production loans, plus excess tax benefits on equity-based compensation awards. The adjustment for the production loans is made because the GAAP based cash flows from operations reflects a non-cash reduction of cash flows for the cost of films associated with production loans prior to the time the Company actually pays for the film. The Company believes that it is more meaningful to reflect the impact of the payment for these films in its free cash flow when the payments are actually made.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure as defined in Regulation G promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This non-GAAP financial measure is in addition to, not a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Management believes this non-GAAP measure provides useful information to investors regarding cash that our operating businesses generate whether classified as operating or financing activity (related to the production of our films) within our GAAP based statement of cash flows, before taking into account cash movements that are non-operational. Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure commonly used in the entertainment industry and by financial analysts and others who follow the industry. Not all companies calculate free cash flow in the same manner and the measure as presented may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

This reconciliation is provided to illustrate the difference between our EBITDA and free cash flow which are both separately reconciled to their corresponding GAAP metrics.

Adjusted income before income taxes, adjusted net income and adjusted basic and diluted EPS are adjusted for the following items:

(1) Stock-based compensation: Adjustments for stock-based compensation represents compensation expenses associated with stock options, restricted share units, cash and equity settled SARs. The adjustment to net income is net of the tax impact calculated using the statutory tax rate applicable to each adjustment.

(2) Restructuring charges: This adjusts income before income taxes and net income to eliminate the severance costs associated with the integration of the marketing operations of our Lionsgate and Summit film labels and costs related to the move of our international sales and distribution organization to the United Kingdom. The adjustment to net income is net of the tax impact calculated using the statutory tax rate applicable to each adjustment.

(3) Gain on sale of equity method investment: This adjusts income before income taxes and net income to eliminate the gain on sale of our interest in FEARnet. The adjustment to net income is net of the tax impact calculated using the statutory tax rate applicable to each adjustment.

(4) Loss on extinguishment of debt: This adjusts income before income taxes and net income to eliminate the loss on extinguishment of debt. The adjustment to net income is net of the tax impact calculated using the statutory tax rate applicable to each adjustment.

Management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors regarding the Company's results as compared to historical periods. The Company uses these measures, among other measures, to evaluate the operating performance of the Company. The Company believes that the adjusted results provide relevant and useful information for investors because they clarify the Company's actual operating performance and allow investors to review our operating performance in the same way as our management. Since these measures are not calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, they should not be considered in isolation of, or as a substitute for income before income taxes, net income, basic and diluted EPS. Not all companies calculate adjusted income before income taxes, adjusted net income, and adjusted basic and diluted EPS in the same manner and the measures as presented may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

SOURCE Lionsgate