Lions Gate profit boosted by 'Hunger Games', 'Now You See Me'

[February 07, 2014]   (Reuters) — Film distributor Lions Gate Entertainment Corp reported a better-than-expected rise in quarterly earnings due to the success of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", "Escape Plan" and "Now You See Me".

Third-quarter earnings more than doubled to $88.8 million, or 59 cents per share, from $37.8 million, or 27 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, the company earned 64 cents per share in the three months ended December 31.

Revenue jumped 13 percent to $839.9 million.

Analysts had expected Lions Gate to earn 44 cents per share on revenue of $834 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

(Reporting by Richa Naidu in Bangalore; Editing by Don Sebastian)

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