Lionsgate, the movie and TV studio behind “Orange Is the New Black” and “The Hunger Games,” laid off roughly 20 people on Friday. The cuts mostly impact employees in business operations. There are also a few layoffs in its television division.
It is the second round of layoffs at Lionsgate this year. In January, Lionsgate laid off 26 staffers in its motion picture group and dissolved its partnership with Codeblack Films, the maker of the Kevin Hart stand-up special “Let Me Explain” and the Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez on Me.”
Lionsgate scored a hit this month with “A Madea Family Funeral,” but many of its films have failed to connect. The studio’s recent flops include a pricey attempt to revitalize “Robin Hood,” as well as the studio’s Mila Kunis-Kate McKinnon buddy comedy “The Spy Who Dumped Me.”
Starz, the cable network that Lionsgate bought in 2016, has been a more consistent performer. The network ended the most recent fiscal quarter with 25.1 million domestic subscribers, an increase of over 1 million customers.
Lionsgate isn’t the only entertainment company engaging in staff cuts. Paramount also went through a round of layoffs this year, and the pending merger of Disney and much of Fox’s film and television assets is expected to result in thousands of lost jobs.
Lionsgate has roughly 1,600 employees.