MUMBAI: Pulling off its first pickup at Sundance, Lionsgate, acquired the North American rights of the Ryan Reynolds man-in-a-coffin thriller Buried for a sum of $ 4 million. The studio plans to release the film this year.

Besides Loinsgate, Screen Gems and Fox Searchlight were also in race to acquire the rights.

Rodrigo Cortes' thriller launched the first heated bidding war in Park City after its Saturday midnight premiere.

The thriller aims its camera at Reynolds as he attempts to break out of a coffin, from inside the coffin for 90 minutes.