Lionsgate's Academy Award(R) Winning PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE Captures the Number One Spot on the DVD Charts With 1.5 Million Units Sold in the United States

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The winning streak continues as Precious, which recently won two Academy Awards® for Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay, now claims the top spot on the DVD sell through chart with 1.5 million units sold, in addition to being the #1 rental on iTunes and Amazon.  LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio, in association with Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry present A Lee Daniels Entertainment / Smokewood Entertainment Group Production of Precious, which has grossed $47.5 million to date during its theatrical run.. Precious marks Lionsgate's third number one home entertainment release for 2010 as Gamer and Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself both topped the charts back in January.  

Precious has been generating acclaim since Lionsgate acquired the film at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S Dramatic Competition. The film then went on to collect a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, as well as receiving nominations for two other categories including Best Picture, Drama.  It was nominated for nine NAACP Image Awards, winning six, including Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture, Theatrical or Television. It also swept the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards in all five categories in which it was nominated, including Best Feature and Best Director. Director Lee Daniels was the first African American to be nominated for a Director's Guild of America Award in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Directing. The film also received Academy Award® nominations for Best Picture, Directing for Lee Daniels, Actress in a Leading Role for Gabourey Sidibe and Film Editing for Joe Klotz.

Directed by Lee Daniels from a screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher based upon the book 'Push,' a novel by Sapphire, the film stars Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz and introduces Gabourey Sidibe. Precious was produced by Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness. Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Lisa Cortés and Tom Heller are Executive Producers. Set in Harlem in 1987, Precious is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones, a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother, a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn't know the meaning of "alternative," but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain, Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.

"It has been a thrill to watch Precious achieve such an amazing level of success. With the support of our incredible partners, executive producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, so many people have been touched by this vibrant, honest and hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome. It has also been an honor to re-team with Lee Daniels after releasing the first film from his production company, the Academy Award® winning Monster's Ball." said Steve Beeks, Lionsgate President and Co-Chief Operating Officer. "From awards and critical acclaim to commercial success, we are extremely proud at the level of accomplishment this moving and important film has achieved."

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is the leading next generation studio with a strong and diversified presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and an array of channel platform assets, including TV Guide Network in partnership with JPMorgan's One Equity Partners, the Epix multiplatform channel with partners Viacom and MGM, the FEARnet branded horror channel with partners Comcast and Sony, and the KIX and Thrill branded action and horror channels in Asia. Its feature film business has scored recently with the acclaimed hit Precious, which has garnered two Academy Awards (R) and nearly $50 million at the domestic box office. The Company's home entertainment business has grown to more than 7% market share and is an   industry leader in its box office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

SOURCE Lionsgate