Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., the movie studio home of Tyler Perry and “torture porn” horror franchises “Saw” and “Hostel,” intends to submit an “aggressive” offer for Miramax even as it advances to the second round of bidding for MGM, according to sources inside or close to Lions Gate.
While Lions Gate isn’t considered a serious contender for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer because it lacks the financial wherewithal of richer suitors like Time Warner, it can not only afford Miramax — even at the rumored $700 million price tag — but could also have the field to itself as rivals pursue the bigger fish. A Lions Gate representative did not return calls for comment.
Disney shuttered Miramax last month. The company, with its library of mostly tiny independent films like “Clerks,” no longer fits with owner Disney’s strategy of producing big event movies, but it’s a perfect match with Lionsgate’s core competency of low-to-mid-budget genre releases.
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