LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio, emerged from a neck-and-neck box office race to claim the #1 spot with its action/comedy KICK-ASS. Director Matthew Vaughn’s critically lauded, R-rated film took in $19,828,687 for the weekend, edging past the 3D animated family feature HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. The latest release in Lionsgate’s Tyler Perry franchise, TYLER PERRY’S WHY DID I GET MARRIED, TOO?, reached $54.8 million in its third week in release. Lionsgate secured over 6,500 screens this past weekend, representing 16% of the North American marketplace.
Based on the groundbreaking, best-selling comic by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., KICK-ASS stars Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong and Chloë Grace Moretz, and features Nicolas Cage. The screenplay is written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. The producers are Matthew Vaughn, Brad Pitt, Tarquin Pack and Kris Thykier; Millar and Romita Jr. are co-producers. Lionsgate acquired North American distribution rights for $15 million last year.