Tim Palen, Lionsgate’s marketing chief, said that a staff reorganization since last summer — Mr. Palen now reports to Mr. Feltheimer
instead of an intermediary — had improved his ability to respond to the marketplace, contributing to recent successes.
“Having the marketing group plugged directly into Jon Feltheimer has made an
enormous difference,” Mr. Palen said, adding that morale had also improved.
The $40 million “Hacksaw Ridge” collected $164 million and received six Oscar nominations, including one for Mr. Gibson’s directing.
“La La Land,” which cost $30 million, is cruising toward $300 million in ticket sales and could take home the best picture award.
While Lionsgate’s own movie pipeline has expected hits — among them “The Shack,” a faith-based film — other bets are uncertain.
For the period that ended on Dec. 31, which included almost no income from “La La Land” because of its late-quarter theatrical rollout
and only 23 days of Starz results, revenue grew 12 percent, to $752 million, compared with the year-earlier period.
Mr. Feltheimer and Mr. Burns wanted Starz in part because of its fledgling direct-to-consumers streaming service.
