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Jennifer Lawrence (`Katniss Everdeen`) stars in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's `The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.` (Lionsgate photo by Murray Close)
Jennifer Lawrence ("Katniss Everdeen") stars in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." (Lionsgate photo by Murray Close)

TNT lands rights to Lionsgate's 'Hunger Games' and 'Divergent' franchises

by jmaloni

Submitted

Sat, Aug 23rd 2014 10:00 pm

TNT has landed network television rights to the global blockbuster "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent" movie franchises in a sweeping deal with Lionsgate, it was announced by Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies, and Jim Packer, Lionsgate president of worldwide television and digital distribution.

TNT's acquisition includes the network premiere windows for "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1," which opens in theaters this November, and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2," set for theatrical release in November 2015. The deal also includes network premiere windows for "Divergent," which grossed more than $150 million at the domestic box office earlier this year, and "Insurgent," which is set for theatrical release in March 2015.

Under the agreement, TNT will become the first basic cable network with access to all four "Divergent films" at the same time.

In addition, TNT has secured telecast rights to the first two "Hunger Games" films: "The Hunger Games" (2012) and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013), the top-grossing domestic theatrical release of 2013, and the 10th highest-grossing domestic release of all time.

"The Hunger Games" is slated to air on TNT for the first time in winter 2015, and the network will add the second installment, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," in winter 2016. Both films will complement TNT's network premiere launch of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" in 2017, and in 2018 TNT will be able to air all four "Hunger Games" films concurrently.

TNT's network premiere window for the smash hit "Divergent" will begin in 2016, with the additional three films in the series coming to the network over the next three years.

" 'The Hunger Games' and 'Divergent' franchises fit perfectly within TNT's brand evolution and expansion into action-packed genre programming," Wright said. "Like our current hits 'The Last Ship' and 'Legends,' and the upcoming series 'The Librarians,' the movies in these franchises are ideal for drawing young adults to the network. We look forward to making 'The Hunger Games' and 'Divergent' movies the kind of event programming that will engage and excite fans for years to come."

"We're delighted to launch this partnership with TNT for two of our biggest global franchises," Packer said. "The agreement underscores the breadth and depth of our content portfolio and supplies TNT with blockbuster franchises that will resonate with their audiences for many years to come."

TNT has built a strong reputation when it comes to successfully showcasing high-profile movie franchises, such as Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." The network landed premiere windows for each of the three films and began presenting the entire trilogy in tandem in 2006. TNT has also secured the rights to the first two films in Jackson's adaptation of "The Hobbit," with the first film set to debut on the network next year.

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