'Hostel' Takeover at Box Office - Lionsgate's and Screen Gems' Intense Horror

Thriller HOSTEL Lures Estimated $20.1 Million in Opening Weekend, Ranking #1

at Domestic Box Office

Film Is Lionsgate's Second #1 Horror Film In Past Three Months

Theatrical Release CRASH and Hit Television Series WEEDS Gaining Momentum in

Recent Critical Kudos

SANTA MONICA, Calif., and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 8
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- HOSTEL is a terrifying and disturbing place,
except at the North American box office. Lionsgate's (NYSE: LGF;
Toronto) and Screen Gems' riveting horror thriller opened to an
estimated $20.1 million this weekend, ranking #1 at the domestic box
office, it was announced today by Lionsgate Films Releasing President
Tom Ortenberg. The shockingly intense film, directed by Eli Roth
(Lionsgate's CABIN FEVER) and presented by Quentin Tarantino,
galvanized audiences on 2,195 screens across America for a $9,157 per
screen average.

HOSTEL is Lionsgate's second #1 horror film at the North American box
office in the past three months. SAW II opened to $31.2 million on
Halloween weekend 2005 on its way to a domestic box office gross of
approximately $87 million. It will debut on DVD on February 14.
Lionsgate noted that HOSTEL outperformed the $18 million opening
weekend of the original SAW, which went on to gross $55 million at the
North American box office in fall 2004.

"Eli Roth has once again delivered a horror film that is gory enough
to delight hardcore horror fans and intelligent enough to attract
wider audiences," said Ortenberg. "HOSTEL plays to one of Lionsgate's
sweet spots -- releasing some of the most provocative and disturbing
genre pictures in the marketplace. Based on moviegoer reaction, we are
delighted to have the first theatrical box office phenomenon of 2006."

Added Roth, "I feel so incredibly lucky that the public responded to a
film this intense. It's an honor to be listed in the same box office
column with my idols Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. I'm so
grateful to my fantastic producing team, and to the incredible
marketing and theatrical team at Lionsgate and Clint Culpepper at
Screen Gems for working with me to make this possible."

Writer-director-producer Roth collaborated on the film with executive
producers Tarantino, Scott Spiegel and Boaz Yakin, and producers Mike
Fleiss (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Chris Briggs. HOSTEL tells the
story of two adventurous American college buddies who are backpacking
through Europe and are lured to an out-of-the-way hostel in Slovakia.
Quickly, they find themselves trapped in an increasingly sinister
situation, discovering that it is as wide and as deep as the darkest,
sickest recess of human nature itself -- if they survive. The film
stars Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Barbara Nedeljakova and Jana
Kaderabkova.

The strong debut of HOSTEL capped off several recent weeks that have
highlighted the breadth and quality of Lionsgate product. The
Company's critically-acclaimed box office hit CRASH has now garnered
important nominations from the major guilds, including a Directors
Guild of America Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial
Achievement, three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for
Outstanding Male Performance in a Supporting Role (Don Cheadle, Matt
Dillon) and Outstanding Performance by a Cast, a Producers Guild Award
nomination for Best Theatrical Motion Picture and a Writers Guild
Award nomination for Best Screenplay. CRASH has also been nominated
for two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Performance by An Actor in
a Supporting Role and Best Screenplay, five Broadcast Film Critics
nominations (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Acting Ensemble, Best
Director and Best Writer), and it was named the #1 film of 2005 by
film critic Roger Ebert.

In addition, Lionsgate's hit television series WEEDS, the
highest-rated series on Showtime, received nominations for three
Golden Globe Awards, including Best TV Series -- Musical or Comedy,
Best Performance by an Actress (Mary-Louise Parker) and Best
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Elizabeth Perkins), a
Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Actress in a Comedy Series
and a Writers Guild Award nomination. Another hit Lionsgate television
series, WILDFIRE, made its second season debut on ABC Family last week
with its highest ratings ever and the highest ratings in the network's
history. The first entry from Lionsgate's documentary division,
GRIZZLY MAN, released on DVD last week, has been named to 85 year-end
top 10 film lists and has been named best nonfiction film of 2005 by
the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics
Association and the LA Film Critics Association.

HOSTEL kicks off a 2006 Lionsgate theatrical release slate that
includes the next film in the Company's Tyler Perry franchise, MADEA'S
FAMILY REUNION (February 24), the inspirational AKEELAH AND THE BEE
(April 28), and two more horror films -- HARD CANDY (April 14) and the
horror thriller SEE NO EVIL (May 19), directed by Gregory Dark,
starring WWE superstar Kane and Michael J. Pagan. On the international
front, Lionsgate will release George Clooney's critically-acclaimed
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK through its recently-acquired Redbus
Distributors in the U.K. on February 17.

Lionsgate is the premier independent producer and distributor of
motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family
entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and
prolific library is a valuable source of recurring revenue and a
foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The
Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality
entertainment in markets around the globe.

http://www.lionsgate.com

For further information, contact:

Sarah Greenberg Russell Nelson

sgreenberg@lionsgate.com rnelson@lionsgate.com

310-255-3856 310-255-3858

For corporate inquiries, contact:

Peter D. Wilkes

pwilkes@lionsgate.com

310-255-3726 SOURCE Lionsgate