Hit Animated Series From Genius Brands International, "SpacePOP: Not Your Average Princesses," Voyages to the Big Screen as a Special One-Night Event in Cinemas Nationwide This Fall

BEVERLY HILLS, CA--(Marketwired - May 17, 2017) - Genius Brands International, Inc. "Genius Brands" (NASDAQ: GNUS), a leading media company that creates, produces and licenses children's multimedia entertainment content and products for global broadcast, digital and retail distribution, is partnering with Fathom Events, the recognized leader in event cinema distribution, for an exclusive one-night showing of "SpacePOP: Not Your Average Princesses" in U.S. movie theaters.

As part of the September 16 event, attendees will see the first-ever feature length compilation of season one; a season two sneak peek of SpacePOP ahead of its YouTube debut; the premiere of all-new music videos; and a special surprise featuring some of SpacePOP's biggest fans! Each SpacePOP fan who purchases a ticket will also receive a copy of the SpacePOP original music soundtrack; a 20% off coupon from official SpacePOP Halloween partner Spirit Halloween that can be used on any item in the store; and discounted tickets to SpacePOP promotional partner Six Flags' wintertime celebration, Holiday in the Park® (while supplies last). Additional information available on the Fathom Events website.

Since its premiere in June 2016, the wildly popular SpacePOP animated series has released over 100 short-form episodes and original music videos garnering over 15 million channel views, 50,000+ subscribers and approximately 300,000 hours of viewed programming. This special nationwide cinema event will introduce new audiences to the colorful, intergalactic adventures of the SpacePOP princesses and give existing fans an exciting a new way to engage with the story while getting an early look at what is in store for the Princesses of the Pentangle in season two.

Ticketing dates for "SpacePOP: Not Your Average Princesses" will be announced soon and will be available online by visiting Fathom Events or at participating theater box offices. Participating theater chains include select AMC, Regal and Cinemark locations. A complete list of theater locations will be available on the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

"In less than a year since the debut of the SpacePOP brand, we have successfully extended the characters and storylines across multiple online and offline channels, including YouTube, SVOD and OTT platforms, iTunes, PopJam, Musical.ly, and at specialty, mid and mass retailers, to touch virtually every aspect of our audiences lives," explained Stone Newman, President, Global Consumer Products, Worldwide Content Sales & Marketing for Genius Brands. "Releasing SpacePOP on the silver screen is the next frontier to exponentially build upon our fan base."

"Fathom is very excited to be a part of bringing SpacePOP from its home on YouTube to the big screen," Fathom Events Vice President of Programming Kymberli Frueh said. "This will give audiences the unique experience of seeing their favorite characters larger than life and alongside fellow passionate fans."

Building on the success from 2016's consumer products debut at Kohl's, Claire's and Toys R Us where over 100 SpacePOP products were launched, 2017 will see the brand's expansion into new categories and retailers while further building programs with our existing partners. Highlights for 2017 include the debut of Halloween costumes with Spirit Halloween; the launch of DIY activity kits and compounds with Claire's; and a dedicated SpacePOP retail section at Go! retail stores nationally. To support the new retail launches this year, Genius Brands is executing a comprehensive marketing campaign featuring national promotional partnerships with Six Flags and Zumba Kids. Internationally, SpacePOP will expand this year into Europe and Asia with media and retail launches planned in the U.K., China, Spain, Italy and Portugal.

About SpacePOP

SpacePOP is comprised of over 100 serialized adventures featuring original music woven into a narrative that follows five teenage princesses who disguise themselves as musicians and form a band while they secretly plot to vanquish an evil Empress who is seeking to enslave the galaxy. SpacePOP offers a colorful blend of music, fashion, beauty, friendship and intergalactic adventures resulting in an engaging lifestyle and entertainment brand.

Following the digital content launch on YouTube in June 2016, Genius Brands debuted a merchandise program in the U.S. with approximately 20 manufacturing partners who collectively developed over 100 products across multiple categories at mass retailers nationwide, including Toys"R"Us, Claire's and Kohl's. Genius Brands also expanded the reach of the SpacePOP series via digital platforms, including Toon Goggles, PopJam, BatteryPOP and the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel on Comcast, as well as on OTT platforms, such as Amazon, Apple, Roku, and Google, bringing the combined audience reach to nearly 50 million U.S. households. Additionally, nearly 50 million impressions were achieved through strategic partnerships with Six Flags Theme Parks, Dippin' Dots, Chuck E. Cheese, Girls' World and Storybird, as well as through a robust influencer campaign.

The SpacePOP series was developed with best-in-class development and production teams, including Emmy Award-nominated Steve Banks (head writer and story editor of Sponge Bob Square Pants) as content writer; Han Lee (Pink Fizz, Bobby Jack) for original character designs; multiple Grammy Award-winning producer and music veteran Ron Fair (Fergie, Mary J. Blige, Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, Christina Aguilera and more) together with his singer songwriter spouse Stefanie Fair (founding member of RCA's girl group Wild Orchid with Fergie) for the original SpacePOP theme music; and veteran music producer and composer John Loeffler (Kidz Bop, Pokémon) for original songs.

About Genius Brands International

Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNUS) is a leading global media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children's entertainment properties and consumer products for media distribution and retail channels. Led by award-winning creators and producers, Genius Brands distributes its content worldwide in all formats, as well as a broad range of consumer products based on its characters. In the children's media sector, its portfolio features "content with a purpose" for toddlers to tweens, which provides enrichment as well as entertainment, including new preschool property Rainbow Rangers; tween music-driven brand SpacePOP; preschool property debuting on Netflix Llama Llama; award-winning Baby Genius, re-launched with new entertainment and over 40 new products; adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab®, available on Netflix, public broadcast stations and Genius Brands' Kid Genius channel on Comcast's Xfinity on Demand; Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett. The Company is also co-producing an all-new adult animated series, Stan Lee's Cosmic Crusaders, with Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment and The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, under Genius Brands' wholly owned subsidiary, A Squared Entertainment, the company represents third-party properties, including From Frank, a humor greeting card and product line, and Celessence Technologies, the world's leading micro encapsulation company, across a broad range of categories in territories around the world. For additional information please visit www.gnusbrands.com.

About Fathom Events:

Fathom Events is recognized as the leading domestic distributor of event cinema with participating affiliate theaters in all 100 of the top Designated Market Areas®, and ranks as one of the largest overall distributors of content to movie theaters. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) (known collectively as AC JV, LLC), Fathom Events offers a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events such as live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, dance and theatre productions like the Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre Live, sporting events like Copa America Centenario, concerts with artists like Michael Bublé, Rush and Mötley Crüe, the yearlong TCM Big Screen Classics film series and inspirational events such as To Joey With Love and Kirk Cameron's Revive US. Fathom Events takes audiences behind the scenes and offers unique extras including audience Q&As, backstage footage and interviews with cast and crew, creating the ultimate VIP experience. Fathom Events' live digital broadcast network ("DBN") is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live and pre-recorded events to 896 locations and 1,383 screens in 181 DMAs. For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its patent business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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