Alliance to buy rival for $40m

Canada’s Alliance Films is reportedly set to acquire competitor Maple Pictures, and its output deal with Lionsgate, for US$40m.

Maple co-presidents Laurie May and Brad Pelman, both former Lionsgate executives, and a number of senior staff will join Alliance while the remaining 30 to 40 employees will be let go, according to Deadline Hollywood.

The company was spun out of Lionsgate in 2005 and mainly handles theatrical, TV and on-demand/digital distribution in Canada for the border-straddling mini-major, although it has picked up some titles on its own. The Maple catalogue includes Mad Men, Nurse Jackie and Weeds.

Lionsgate said earlier this year it would sell off non-core assets in a bid to refill the corporate coffers following last year’s costly battle with activist investor Carl Icahn.

The purchase, which could be announced as early as today, will redraw the distribution map in Canada, leaving Alliance and Entertainment One fighting for the top spot.

Alliance Films and Lionsgate were unavailable to comment at press time.