Tyler Perry Signs Three-Year Contract with Lionsgate

SANTA MONICA/VANCOUVER,
July 24: Writer and actor Tyler Perry has signed a new three-year first-look
deal with Lionsgate covering his upcoming theatrical and home-entertainment
products.

Under the new agreement,
Perry will provide at least three additional feature films to Lionsgate
following the fiscal 2009 release of The Family That Preys, slated for release on September 12, and Madea
Goes to Jail, scheduled for
release on February 20, 2009. Lionsgate will continue to distribute Perry’s
DVDs as well as from his catalogue of plays and other materials. Two of Perry’s
senior development executives will be based at Lionsgate’s Santa Monica
corporate headquarters.

Perry already has produced
five feature films during his partnership with Lionsgate, including Diary of
a Mad Black Woman in 2005, Madea's
Family Reunion in 2006, Daddy's
Little Girls and Why Did I Get
Married? in 2007 and Meet The
Browns in 2008, four of which
opened at number one at the weekend box office. These films have cumulatively
grossed nearly a quarter of a billion dollars at the box office, and Lionsgate
has sold more than 25 million Perry DVDs.

Mike Paseornek, the
president of motion picture production for Lionsgate, said: “Tyler Perry
defines the bold entrepreneurial spirit that sets Lionsgate apart as a
next-generation studio connecting with audiences in new and exciting ways. He
is one of the most original, prolific and successful creative voices in the
entertainment world today, and we're thrilled to extend this remarkable
entrepreneurial partnership for another three years. The Tyler Perry franchise
is a unique global phenomenon, and we're privileged to call Tyler a member of
our Lionsgate family.”

“Lionsgate has shared and
nurtured my creative vision in a way that no other studio could match,” Perry
said. “They continue to play a vital role in bringing my messages to new
audiences in new markets every single day with unequalled marketing brilliance.
I’m delighted to continue partnering with them on a rich palette of exciting
projects for years to come.”

—By Jackie Stewart