The home of 'Twilight Saga' and the house of 'The Hunger Games' are in serious talks to solve pricing and management control issues and reach a merger deal.
- Nov 29, 2011
AceShowbiz - Two Hollywood big studios, Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate, could end up working hand in hand instead of rivaling each other. Sources said that the home of "Twilight Saga" movie series have been in early stage of a negotiation for a possible merger with the studio behind the upcoming potential big movie "The Hunger Games".
The two companies, which are headquartered around the block from each other in Santa Monica, have pursued on-and-off merger talks since late 2008, according to people familiar to the situation. The discussions always met a dead-end due to key issues of pricing and management control, but they never abandoned their talks.
This time around, the negotiations are said to become more serious. Still, it should be noted that there's no assurance whether or not a deal would be reached. Rumor has it, Summit have other suitors for the merger plan. As of press time, spokespersons for both Summit and Lionsgate declined to comment on the whole rumors.
Summit have gained major cash cow from "Twilight Saga" movie franchise since the first film was launched three years ago. Most recently, from two-week release of "The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Part I" alone, the studio has so far collected a total of $221.3 million domestically and $489.3 million worldwide. Next, they are eying a big hit with its follow-up "The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Part II" which is due in the U.S. on November 16, 2012.
As for Lionsgate, the studio have profited from their successful TV series like "Mad Men" and "Nurse Jackie". They are now preparing for the release of "The Hunger Games", a big screen adaptation of a young-adult book which draws comparison to the Summit work of "Twilight". Through the Jennifer Lawrence-starring movie, they are eying to launch a big franchise potential of trilogy movies.
