Free Lionsgate movies on YouTube
April 28, 2020
By Colin Mann
Lionsgate UK is to stream four of its big-ticket movies for free as part of a campaign to raise funds for health service and industry-related charities during the Coronavirus lockdown.
Starting on May 2nd, the weekly ‘Lionsgate Live! A Night at the Movies’ will livestream Oscar-winning La La Land, biopic Eddie The Eagle, Bend It Like Beckham, and cult film The Hunger Games exclusively on the Lionsgate UK YouTube channel.
Lionsgate UK says it wants to celebrate the communal experience of going to the cinema, with cinemas closed across the country during the lockdown, while supporting the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Urgent Appeal and The Film and TV Charity Covid-19 Emergency Response.
Each film shown as part the initiative, which is likely to include call-to-actions for donations to the charities, will be presented by a celebrity host, including Edith Bowman, Keith Lemon, Jack Whitehall and Jonathan Ross.
Every Saturday, the event will feature special programming and interactive opportunities for fans, such as surprise guest appearances, real-time fan chats via YouTube Live, live tweeting from @LionsgateUK and partners, costume contests, giveaways, and more.
“Although there is nothing quite like watching a film on the big screen, Lionsgate Live! is a great chance for the UK to come together and celebrate the cinematic experience from home,” declared Zygi Kamasa, CEO Lionsgate UK. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to show our support and raise money for the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Urgent Appeal and The Film and TV Charity Covid-19 Emergency Response, who are both doing incredible work during this time. Join us as we celebrate a night out at the cinema, and bring it on home.”
Lionsgate UK is joined in the initiative with partners including Cineworld, Odeon, Showcase, Empire, The Light, Picturehouse, Everyman, Curzon, The Industry Trust and other independent British cinemas.