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