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Acquisitions
9 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Business Combination, Asset Acquisition, and Joint Venture Formation [Abstract]  
Acquisitions Acquisitions
Acquired Library

On June 5, 2024, the Company invested approximately $35.0 million for a 51% members' interest in a newly formed limited liability company, CP LG Library Holdings, LLC (“CP LG”), with the Company designated as the managing member of CP LG. CP LG used the funds received from the Company, along with funds invested by the 49% member, to acquire a library of 46 films for approximately $68.6 million. Also on June 5, 2024, the Company entered into a distribution agreement with CP LG to distribute the titles in the acquired library. The purchase included the film library (of which $48.3 million of the purchase price was allocated to investment in film and television programs for the film library), accounts receivable and certain liabilities associated with the film library, most notably participations and residuals liabilities.

The Company determined that CP LG is a variable interest entity (“VIE”) for which it is the primary beneficiary and is consolidated under the applicable accounting guidance as the Company has the power to direct the significant activities and the right to receive benefits and obligation to absorb losses of CP LG. The Company concluded that the acquired library and related assets and liabilities was not a business and therefore, accounted for the acquisition as an initial consolidation of a VIE that is not a business under the applicable accounting guidance. There was no gain or loss recognized upon initial consolidation of the VIE as the sum of the fair value of the consideration paid and noncontrolling interest equaled the fair value of the net assets on the acquisition date. See Note 9 for the noncontrolling interest recorded related to CP LG.

As of December 31, 2024, the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet included assets and liabilities of CP LG totaling $72.6 million (which is primarily comprised of investment in film and television programs) and $12.3 million, respectively. The assets and liabilities of CP LG primarily consist of accounts receivable, investment in film and television programs, and participations and residuals.
Business Combination Agreement

On May 13, 2024, the Company consummated the business combination agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) with Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“SEAC”), SEAC II Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEAC (“New SEAC”), LG Sirius Holdings ULC, a British Columbia unlimited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Studio HoldCo”), LG Orion Holdings ULC, a British Columbia unlimited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“StudioCo”) and other affiliates of SEAC (the "Closing"). Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Business Combination Agreement, the Studio Business was combined with SEAC through a series of transactions, including an amalgamation of StudioCo and New SEAC under a Canadian plan of arrangement (the “Business Combination”). In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, New SEAC changed its name to “Lionsgate Studios Corp.” (referred to as “Lionsgate Studios”) and continues the existing business operations of StudioCo, which consists of the Studio Business of Lionsgate. The "Studio Business" consists of the businesses of Lionsgate's Motion Picture and Television Production segments, together with substantially all of Lionsgate's corporate general and administrative functions and costs. Lionsgate Studios became a separate publicly traded company and its common shares commenced trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “LION” on May 14, 2024.

In connection with and prior to the Business Combination, the Company and StudioCo entered into a separation agreement pursuant to which the assets and liabilities of the Studio Business were transferred to StudioCo such that StudioCo held, directly or indirectly, all of the assets and liabilities of the Studio Business (the “Separation”).

Following the transaction, approximately 87.8% of the total shares of Lionsgate Studios continue to be held by the Company, while former SEAC public shareholders and founders and common equity financing investors own approximately 12.2% of Lionsgate Studios. In addition to establishing Lionsgate Studios as a standalone publicly-traded entity, the transaction resulted in approximately $330.0 million of gross proceeds to the Company, including $254.3 million in private investments in public equities ("PIPE") financing, which amount excludes an aggregate of approximately $20.0 million that remains due from a PIPE Investor that subscribed for common shares and which shares, as of December 31, 2024, are pending issuance subject to receipt of such amount. The net proceeds were used to partially pay down amounts outstanding under the Term Loan A and Term Loan B pursuant to the Credit Agreement (see Note 6).

The Business Combination has been accounted for as a reverse recapitalization in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Under this method of accounting, SEAC was treated as the acquired company and the Studio Business was treated as the acquirer for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the financial statements of Lionsgate Studios will represent a continuation of the financial statements of the Studio Business, with the Business Combination treated as the equivalent of the Studio Business issuing stock for the historical net assets of SEAC, substantially consisting of cash held in the trust account, accompanied by a recapitalization of the Studio Business equity. The historical net assets of SEAC were stated at fair value, which approximates historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Operations prior to the Business Combination are those of the Studio Business. The Studio Business continues to be a consolidated subsidiary of the Company.
In connection with the Business Combination, as described above, approximately 12.2% of the Lionsgate Studios common shares were issued to the SEAC public shareholders and founders and other common equity financing investors in exchange for net proceeds of $278.2 million. The following table reconciles the gross proceeds to the net proceeds reflected in the consolidated statement of cash flows and the consolidated statement of equity (deficit):

(Amounts in millions)
Total gross cash proceeds
$330.0 
Less: SEAC warrant exchange payment (1)
(12.5)
Less: Transaction costs(39.3)
Net proceeds from the sale of noncontrolling interest in Lionsgate Studios Corp. per the condensed consolidated statement of equity (deficit)278.2 
Add: Transaction costs accrued and not paid, net of transaction costs previously paid3.5 
Net cash proceeds from the sale of noncontrolling interest in Lionsgate Studios per the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows$281.7 
______________
(1) Prior to the Closing, each of the then issued and outstanding whole warrants of SEAC, sold as part of SEAC’s initial public offering (the “SEAC Public Warrants”) was automatically exchanged for $0.50 in cash pursuant to the terms of
an amendment to the agreement governing the SEAC Public Warrants. As of the Closing, no SEAC Public Warrants were outstanding.
The Company recorded a reduction of noncontrolling interest in shareholders' equity (deficit) of $100.2 million and a reduction of accumulated other comprehensive income of $11.3 million for the issuance of the Lionsgate Studios common shares, which was based upon the 12.2% ownership interest in the carrying value of Lionsgate Studios. The reduction in noncontrolling interest was due to the negative carrying value of Lionsgate Studios as of May 13, 2024, partially offset by an amount allocated to certain options described below. The difference between the net cash proceeds and the amounts recorded as noncontrolling interest and accumulated other comprehensive income was reflected as a reduction of accumulated deficit in the consolidated statement of shareholders' equity (deficit). See Note 9.
In connection with the Business Combination, 2,200,000 options (the "Sponsor Options") to receive Lionsgate Studios common shares, were issued to certain noncontrolling interest holders, with an exercise price of $0.0001 per share. The Sponsor Options will become exercisable (i) on or after the date on which the trading price of Lionsgate Studios common shares (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) equals or exceeds $16.05 per share or (ii) if a Change of Control (as defined in the sponsor option agreement) occurs, subject to certain conditions. The Company has recorded the Sponsor Options as part of the noncontrolling interest recorded.

eOne Acquisition

On December 27, 2023, the Company, and its subsidiaries, Lions Gate Entertainment Inc., a Delaware corporation (“LGEI”), and Lions Gate International Motion Pictures S.à.r.l., a Luxembourg société à responsabilité limitée (“LGIMP” and, with the Company and LGEI, collectively the “Buyers”), completed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of the companies constituting the Entertainment One television and film (“eOne”) business from Hasbro, Inc., a Rhode Island corporation (“Hasbro”), pursuant to that certain Equity Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) dated August 3, 2023. The aggregate cash purchase price was approximately $373.1 million. The acquisition of eOne, a film and television production and distribution company, builds the Company's film and television library, strengthens the Company's scripted and unscripted television business, and continues to expand the Company's presence in Canada and the U.K.
The acquisition was accounted for under the acquisition method of accounting, with the financial results of eOne included in the Company's consolidated results from December 27, 2023.

Allocation of Purchase Consideration. The Company has made an allocation of the purchase price of eOne to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair value as follows:
(Amounts in millions)
Cash and cash equivalents$54.1 
Accounts receivable293.2 
Investment in films and television programs370.2 
Property and equipment14.0 
Intangible assets4.0 
Other assets(1)
172.4 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities(69.3)
Content related payables(38.8)
Participations and residuals(1)
(202.9)
Film related obligations(1)
(105.8)
Other liabilities and deferred revenue(1)
(130.9)
Fair value of net assets acquired360.2 
Goodwill12.9 
Purchase price consideration at December 31, 2024
$373.1 
______________
(1)Includes current and non-current amounts.
The goodwill amount reflected in the table above arises from the opportunity for strengthening the Company's global distribution infrastructure and enhanced positioning for motion picture and television projects and selling opportunities. The goodwill will not be amortized for financial reporting purposes, and will not be deductible for federal tax purposes. The fair value measurements were primarily based on significant inputs that are not observable in the market, such as discounted cash flow (DCF) analyses, and thus represent Level 3 fair value measurements.

Investment in films and television programs includes the fair value of completed films and television programs which have been produced by eOne or for which eOne has acquired distribution rights, as well as the fair value of films and television programs in production, pre-production and development. For investment in films and television programs, the fair value was estimated based on forecasted cash flows discounted to present value at a rate commensurate with the risk of the assets. Titles that were released less than three years prior to the acquisition date (December 27, 2023) were valued individually and will be amortized using the individual film forecast method, based on the ratio of current period revenues to management’s estimated remaining total gross revenues to be earned ("ultimate revenue"). Titles released more than three years prior to the acquisition date were valued as part of a library and will be amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of 5 years to 10 years.
The intangible assets acquired include trade names with a weighted average estimated useful life of 5 years. The fair value of the trade names was estimated based on the present value of the hypothetical cost savings that could be realized by the owner of the trade names as a result of not having to pay a stream of royalty payments to another party. These cost savings were calculated based on a DCF analysis of the hypothetical royalty payment that a licensee would be required to pay in exchange for use of the trade names, reduced by the tax effect realized by the licensee on the royalty payments.

Other fair value adjustments were made to property and equipment and right-of-use lease assets to reflect the fair value of certain assets upon acquisition.

Deferred taxes, net of any required valuation allowance, were adjusted to record the deferred tax impact of acquisition accounting adjustments primarily related to amounts allocated to film and television programs, other intangible assets, and certain property and equipment, right-of-use lease assets, and other liabilities.

The fair value of eOne's cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, participations and residuals, film related obligations and other liabilities were estimated to approximate their book values.

Pro Forma Statement of Operations Information. The following unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations information presented below illustrates the results of operations of the Company as if the acquisition of eOne as described above occurred on April 1, 2023. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information is presented for informational purposes and is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the acquisition had occurred on April 1, 2023, nor is it indicative of future results. The statement of operations information below includes the statement of operations of eOne for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 combined with the Company's statement of operations for the nine months ended December 31, 2023, respectively.

Three Months EndedNine Months Ended
December 31,December 31,
20232023
 (Amounts in millions)
Revenues$1,116.0 $3,318.4 
Net loss attributable to Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. shareholders$(87.4)$(1,344.0)

The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information includes, where applicable, adjustments for (i) reductions in amortization expense from the fair value adjustments to investment in films and television programs, (ii) reduction in amortization expense related to acquired intangible assets, (iii) reduction in depreciation expense from the fair value of property and equipment, (iv) transaction costs and other one-time non-recurring costs, (v) increase in interest expense resulting from financing the acquisition with borrowings under the Company's revolving credit facility, (vi) elimination of intercompany activity between eOne and the Company, and (vii) associated tax-related impacts of adjustments. These pro forma adjustments are based on available information as of the date hereof and upon assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable to reflect the impact of the acquisition of eOne on the Company's historical financial information on a supplemental pro forma basis. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations information does not include adjustments related to integration activities, operating efficiencies or cost savings. In addition, the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information for the nine months ended December 31, 2023 includes an impairment of goodwill and trade name of $296.2 million which was reflected in the statement of operations of eOne for the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
The results of operations of eOne were reflected beginning December 27, 2023, in the Motion Picture and Television Production reportable segments of the Company.