Overview
Lionsgate UK is the British subsidiary of Lionsgate Films, operating from offices in Fitzrovia, London. The company was originally founded in 1997 as Redbus Film Distribution by Simon Franks and Zygi Kamasa. Lionsgate acquired Redbus in October 2005 for $35 million and rebranded it as Lionsgate UK on February 23, 2006. Marie-Claire Benson serves as executive vice president and head of the UK Motion Picture Group. She joined Lionsgate UK in the home entertainment division in 2009 and has led the motion picture group since 2020.
Following the parent company's acquisition of Entertainment One (eOne) in December 2023, Lionsgate UK expanded its London operations and absorbed eOne's UK theatrical distribution infrastructure. The company's release slate runs approximately 60% titles from the US parent and 40% local acquisitions. This hybrid model gives Lionsgate UK both franchise scale and acquisitions flexibility.
Distribution Model
Lionsgate UK distributes across the UK and Ireland, handling theatrical, home entertainment, and digital releases. The company follows a traditional theatrical window model, with most releases opening wide on 300 to 600 screens. Platform releases are reserved for arthouse acquisitions like Anatomy of a Fall and The Seed of the Sacred Fig, which expand based on performance.
Home entertainment and digital releases run through Elevation Sales, a joint venture with StudioCanal UK. Lionsgate UK's streaming relationships include output deals with Amazon Prime Video UK and other platforms. These deals provide structured post-theatrical streaming windows for Lionsgate releases. Subsidiaries and joint ventures include Elevation Sales, Primal Media, and Potboiler Television.
The company's international structure ties it to Lionsgate's global sales operation. Lionsgate International sells titles at AFM, Cannes, and Toronto, with Lionsgate UK handling UK-Ireland distribution as a territorial partner. This structure means UK filmmakers acquired by Lionsgate UK may also access global sales through the parent company.
Example Titles They've Released
Lionsgate UK's catalog spans franchise blockbusters, prestige acquisitions, and British independent films:
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) - 34.2 million pounds, the company's highest-grossing UK-Ireland release
- The Housemaid (2025) - 31.1 million pounds and climbing, second-highest UK-Ireland release. Directed by Paul Feig, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. Contributed to a $367 million worldwide total
- La La Land (2016) - major UK-Ireland hit
- John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) - franchise title from the US parent
- Anatomy of a Fall (2023) - Justine Triet's Palme d'Or winner, taken over from Picturehouse Entertainment for UK-Ireland release
- Triangle of Sadness (2022) - Palme d'Or winner, taken over from Curzon
- The Iron Claw (2024) - wrestling drama starring Zac Efron
- Love Lies Bleeding (2024) - Rose Glass thriller, pre-bought at script stage
- The Critic (2024) - Ian McKellen thriller, co-released with True Brit Entertainment
- Glenrothan (2026) - Brian Cox's directorial debut, starring Alan Cumming. Released April 17, 2026
- Wasteman (2026) - Cal McMau's prison drama starring David Jonsson and Tom Blyth. Premiered at Toronto 2025, released February 20, 2026
- Power Ballad (2026) - released May 29, 2026
Deal Structure Reputation
Lionsgate UK operates a hybrid deal model. For US parent titles, the company functions as an in-house distributor with no separate MG. For acquisitions, the company uses minimum guarantee (MG) structures, pre-buys, and occasionally service deals depending on the project.
Reported deals illustrate the range:
- Wasteman: Lionsgate UK closed a full UK rights deal with sales agent Bankside Films before the BFI or any broadcaster was attached. Emma Berkofsky received the screenplay in April 2024 and moved quickly
- Love Lies Bleeding: Pre-bought at script stage, a common Lionsgate UK approach for British projects with strong writing and casting potential
- The Critic: Co-distribution deal with True Brit Entertainment (Zygi Kamasa's company), splitting release responsibilities
- Belly of the Beast: Acquired at AFM 2024 from mk2 films. Andrew Haigh's true crime film starring Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell
- Anatomy of a Fall and Triangle of Sadness: Taken over from other UK distributors (Picturehouse and Curzon respectively) to amplify releases
The company's MG ranges are not publicly disclosed but industry sources place typical UK-Ireland MGs for acquisitions between 100,000 and 500,000 pounds depending on festival pedigree and commercial profile.
Typical Acquisition Profile
Marie-Claire Benson has stated that Lionsgate UK predominantly wants to acquire British stories, British filmmakers, and British talent. The acquisitions team targets:
- British-set projects with commercial audience potential, including genre films and prestige drama with strong casting
- International festival titles with UK market appeal, particularly Cannes and Toronto competition films
- Projects where known names combine with literary material, as with The Housemaid (Freida McFadden bestseller) and Love Lies Bleeding
- Films that can benefit from Lionsgate UK's distribution scale beyond what boutique arthouse labels can deliver
The company does not accept open submissions. Projects reach Lionsgate UK through sales agents at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and AFM, or through direct relationships with British production companies. Emma Berkofsky heads acquisitions and co-productions, with Alex Gardener-Smith leading commercial planning.
The UK's new film tax credit, introduced in 2024, has increased the volume of UK-set projects coming through Lionsgate UK's acquisition pipeline, according to Benson.
Recent Slate and Acquisition Activity
Lionsgate UK's 2025 to 2026 slate demonstrates the hybrid model in action:
- The Housemaid (December 26, 2025) - opened to 3.1 million pounds, reached over 31.1 million pounds at UK-Ireland box office. The UK and Ireland is the film's highest-grossing international territory. A sequel, The Housemaid's Secret, is in development for December 2027
- H is for Hawk (January 23, 2026) - UK indie drama, reached 2.1 million pounds at UK-Ireland box office
- Wasteman (February 20, 2026) - prison drama, reached 884,000 pounds. Premiered at Toronto 2025
- The Strangers: Chapter 3 (February 6, 2026) - horror franchise title
- Glenrothan (April 17, 2026) - Brian Cox's directorial debut, 626,522 pounds at UK-Ireland box office
- Power Ballad (May 29, 2026) - 274,191 pounds
- Ghosts (forthcoming) - feature film adaptation of the BBC comedy series. Lionsgate UK will distribute in the UK with Benson and Berkofsky as executive producers. BBC Studios handles worldwide sales
- Belly of the Beast (forthcoming) - Andrew Haigh's true crime film starring Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell, acquired at AFM 2024
Watch: Trailers and Interviews
What Filmmakers Should Know
Lionsgate UK is a realistic acquisition target for British filmmakers and international filmmakers with commercial-scale projects targeting the UK theatrical market. The company's hybrid model means it considers project types beyond franchise studio fare. For independent British films with commercial audience potential, including genre films, prestige drama with strong casting, and international acquisitions with UK market appeal, Lionsgate UK's distribution scale provides theatrical reach that boutique arthouse labels cannot deliver.
The company acquires through sales agents at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and AFM, and through direct relationships with British production companies. Lionsgate UK is particularly active in pre-buying UK rights at script stage for British projects. Filmmakers should approach through their sales agent or production company, as Lionsgate UK does not accept cold submissions. The key trade-off: Lionsgate UK's marketing budget and screen access give commercially positioned independent films better theatrical performance than smaller distributors can achieve, but the company rarely handles pure arthouse titles with limited crossover potential.
See Also
For Lionsgate's US theatrical distribution, see the Lionsgate Films entry in this directory. For UK specialty and arthouse distribution, see Curzon and BFI Distribution. To model potential UK-Ireland theatrical revenue for your film, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For how UK distribution deals are typically structured, see Distribution Deals Explained.
