Pete Davidson Horror Film ‘The Home’ Goes To Lionsgate In U.S. Deal; Miramax Debuted ‘The Purge’ Helmer James DeMonaco’s Pic At TIFF

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate has closed a U.S. deal for The Home, the James DeMonaco-directed thriller that stars Pete Davidson. The film was made be Miramax, and it screened for buyers outside competition at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival in the Industry Selects category that the festival started to highlight commercial films.

If you’ve been scoring from home, this goes down as another deal from TIFF 2023. After a slow start, the festival has led to a wellspring of film deals, one of the fest’s strongest showings in years.  

The deal closed after the exit last week of Miramax CEO Bill Block, who made the film and placed it at TIFF. On the Lionsgate side was Charlotte Koh, EVP Acquisitions and Co-Productions, along with the film’s producers, Block and Sebastian K. Lemercier. Look for this one to get a theatrical release in the early part of 2024.

Deal comes right as former Saturday Night Live castmember Davidson prepares this weekend to return as host in the NBC anthology show’s first post WGA-strike episode. Davidson, who exited the show to star in the Judd Apatow comedy The King of Staten Island, is in theaters co-starring in Dumb Money, the Craig Gillespie-directed black comedy about how a grassroots undercurrent of social media-powered stock speculators thwarted a short squeeze attempt and bankrupted the billion-dollar hedge fund that bet against the retail gaming outlet GameStop. The film received strong reviews at TIFF, where it made its world premiere.  

Best known for helming the blockbuster franchise The Purge, DeMonaco here gives the haunted house treatment to a retirement home whose residents and caretakers harbor sinister secrets. Davidson stars as Max, a former foster child who begins working at the home, and uncovers connections to his own past and upbringing as a foster child.

“We went into The Home not knowing what to expect and James and Pete delivered an exhilarating ride of a movie that is pure suspense-filled fun and just plain bonkers. Audiences won’t know what hit them.” said Koh.

“James and Pete have created an instant horror classic, and we are thrilled to have found the perfect partner in Lionsgate to bring the film to U.S. audiences,” says Thom Zadra, EVP of Miramax.

DeMonaco and Adam Cantor wrote the script. Koh will oversee the film for Lionsgate. Christopher Davis oversaw the deal on behalf of Lionsgate. CAA and Thom Zadra oversaw the deal for Miramax.