Legendary Entertainment revives bid to acquire Lionsgate

Legendary Entertainment, the studio behind hits such as Dune, A Minecraft Movie and the Godzilla Monsterverse, has reportedly revived its bid to acquire Lionsgate. Bloomberg reported that Legendary has submitted an acquisition offer, and the news sent Lionsgate shares up 15% ahead of its earnings release in early November, pushing its market cap to $3.6 billion. The report does not disclose the deal terms.

Legendary’s motivation appears to be self‑distribution; owning Lionsgate would give it control over a library of more than 20,000 titles that includes franchises like John Wick, Twilight, The Hunger Games and Saw, as well as recent hits such as Michael. Lionsgate’s slate also features the Noah Centineo‑starring reboot John Rambo and Mel Gibson’s two‑part epic The Resurrection of the Christ. Legendary’s most recent film, Street Fighter, also highlights its ambitions in high‑profile releases.