Viacom and Lions Gate Go Head-to-Head in Fight for Miramax Stake

The race to acquire a stake in Miramax, the once-groundbreaking studio behind films such as “Good Will Hunting” and “Pulp Fiction,” is down to two major bidders, according to people familiar with the matter.

Lions Gate Entertainment and the soon-to-be-merged ViacomCBS are going toe-to-toe in pursuing the asset, which was put up for sale by Qatari broadcaster BeIN Media Group, said the people, who asked not to be named because the process is private. Lantern Entertainment, the company formed through the acquisition of Weinstein Co. assets, is no longer in the running, according to the people. (Lantern became part of a new venture called Spyglass Media Group earlier this year.)