Lionsgate has officially acquired the global entertainment platform eOne from Hasbro.
Lionsgate Gets ‘Monopoly’ Movie Rights
According to PR Newswire, Lionsgate has also acquired the development rights for a potential ‘Monopoly‘ movie from Hasbro.
Monopoly is a classic board game that was created by Charles Darrow in the early 20th century. Darrow developed the game in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. Initially sold independently, it gained popularity, and in 1935, Parker Brothers acquired the rights. Hasbro later bought Parker Brothers in 1991, making them the current owner of Monopoly.
Lionsgate bought eOne for $375 million in cash, plus taking on production financing loans. Their acquisition of eOne adds 6,500 film and TV titles to its extensive library, diversifying and strengthening its scripted and unscripted TV businesses. The deal also expands Lionsgate’s presence in Canada and the UK and includes hit productions like ‘The Rookie’ and ‘Yellowjackets’.
In a statement, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said, “The eOne acquisition concludes a busy year in which we continued to execute our strategy of strengthening our studio business as we prepare for the separation of Lionsgate and STARZ into pure-play standalone companies.” Feltheimer added, “As we’ve conducted our integration planning, our analysis has reaffirmed our conviction that eOne will be a valuable and highly accretive addition to our business. We are pleased to welcome eOne’s talented group of employees to our Lionsgate family.”
Lionsgate will soon reveal the production details for ‘Monopoly.’ Stay tuned for updates.
