The Weinstein Company Completes Its Financing and Closes on a $500 Million Film Securitization Facility

The Weinstein Company Completes Its Financing and Closes on a $500 Million Film Securitization Facility

Film Securitization Facility Brings Total Financing to Approximately $1.2 Billion

NEW YORK, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Weinstein Company (TWC) today announced the completion of a $500 million film securitization facility, thereby completing the financing for the new company launched by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on October 1, 2005. TWC has raised a total of approximately $1.2 billion to date, including $490 million in equity, $500 million from the film securitization, and approximately $200 million through other commercial arrangements.

Goldman, Sachs & Co. advised TWC on the $500 million film securitization. The facility received Aaa and AAA ratings from Moody's Investor Service and Standard and Poor's, respectively, and is insured, or "wrapped," by Ambac Assurance Corporation. The Weinstein Portfolio Funding Company LLC, a subsidiary of TWC, will be the borrower under the facility and will hold distribution rights of the films that are part of the securitization. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and O'Melveny & Myers LLP advised TWC in connection with the transaction.

Bob and Harvey Weinstein stated, "We are thrilled to have completed the financing to fully fund and execute our business strategy. We are incredibly appreciative of all of our partners whom we have worked with over the past few months and are thrilled that we can now concentrate on what we love most, making movies."

TWC has a significant number of well-known strategic, financial and individual investors among its equity holders, including affiliates of GLG Partners, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Perry Capital, Quinta Communications S.A., SOFTBANK CORP., TF1 S.A., WPP, a Mark Cuban investment company, Vivi Nevo, and a Todd Wagner investment company, among others.

ABOUT THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

The Weinstein Company was created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films Corporation in 1979. TWC is a multi-media company that officially launched on October 1, 2005. Dimension Films, the genre label that was founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, is also included under the TWC banner.

Since launching on October 1, 2005, The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films have released the sexy psychological thriller "Derailed," starring Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen; "The Libertine," starring Johnny Depp and Samantha Morton; "Transamerica," starring 2005 Emmy Award winner and Golden Globe winner Felicity Huffman; "Mrs. Henderson Presents," starring Academy Award winner Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins; "Wolf Creek," the terrifying Australian horror film based on true events; "The Matador," starring Golden Globe nominee Pierce Brosnan and "Hoodwinked," a CGI animated family film with voiceovers by Glenn Close, Jim Belushi and Anne Hathaway.

Upcoming releases include; "Lucky Number Slevin," starring Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, and Academy Award winners Morgan Freeman, and Sir Ben Kingsley; "Breaking & Entering," written and directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright Penn and Vera Farmiga; "Decameron," starring Hayden Christensen and Mischa Barton; "Last Legion," starring Colin Firth and Sir Ben Kingsley; "Young Hannibal," the prequel to the incredibly successful and legendary Hannibal Lecter series; "Scary Movie 4," the latest installment in the hugely successful and hilarious horror- parody series; "Sin City 2," the second installment in the franchise based on the electrifying graphic novels from Frank Miller, which will be co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Miller; "Pulse," a remake of a Japanese horror film starring Kristen Bell, Christina Milian, and Ian Somerhalder; "Passion of the Clerks," a new film from Kevin Smith; "Killshot," a film from Academy Award winning director John Madden starring Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Thomas Jane, Rosario Dawson, and Johnny Knoxville; "Awake," starring Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen; "School for Scoundrels," directed by Todd Phillips and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder; and "Grind House," a groundbreaking film that will unite two of the world's most legendary filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.

During the Weinsteins' tenure at Miramax Films the company released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films, including fifteen Best Picture nominations and three Best Pictures of the Year for "The English Patient," Shakespeare In Love" and "Chicago." The films, which received 249 Academy Award(R) nominations and won 60 Oscars(R), have generated billions of dollars in worldwide box office receipts and billions more in home video sales. In its history, Dimension Films has released some of the most successful franchises including "Scream," "Spy Kids" and "Scary Movie."

Source: The Weinstein Company

CONTACT: Julie Cloutier, Manager, Publicity & Corporate Communications
of The Weinstein Company, LLC, +1-646-862-3825,
julie.cloutier@weinsteinco.com

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