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[3N16MA]

China's richest man is escalating his historic push into Hollywood.

Real estate and entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group plans to close two, billion-dollar film industry deals in the U.S. this year, Wang Jianlin, the company's billionaire chairman, told Reuters Tuesday, in an exclusive interview.

Wang said the deals will involve two non-production film companies based in the U.S. Once he completes those transactions, Wanda plans to pursue acquiring one of the "big six" Hollywood film studios, he added.

"My goal is to buy Hollywood companies and bring their technology and capability to China," Wang told Reuters.

Wang didn't disclose any further details about the two companies he is currently pursuing.

In January, Wanda paid $3.5 billion for Legendary Entertainment, financiers of such global hits as Jurassic World and Godzilla, becoming the first Chinese owner of a U.S. movie studio with a track record in producing international event pictures. Wang has previously stated that he hopes to control no less than 20 percent of global box office revenue by 2020. His conglomerate already holds more movie screens than any other exhibitor on the planet, via control or ownership of AMC Entertainment, China's largest cinema line, Australia's Hoyts and Europe's Odeon & UCI Cinema Group.

In July, Wanda was reported to be engaged in talks with Paramount Pictures about acquiring a 49 percent minority stake in the beleaguered studio. But the possibility of that deal seemed to dissolve with Viacom's recent ouster of Philippe Dauman, who had been pursuing the stake sale in opposition to the Redstone family's wishes.

In the interview with Reuters Tuesday, Wang clarified that he would be happy to own any of the major U.S. studios, which also include 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, Universal Pictures and Sony-owned Columbia.

"We are interested not only in Paramount, but all of them. If one of the Big Six would be willing to be sold to us, we would be interested," Wang said.

"Only the six are real global film companies, while the rest are not. If we are to build a real movie empire, this is a necessary step," he added.

Wang added that Wanda would begin seeking co-investment opportunities in global tentpoles in 2017.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-wanda-planning-two-billion-921985

Wanda has made already become a big player in Hollywood after buying Legendary and multiple theater chains. The Chinese BO continues to grow and is changing the landscape. Only a matter of time before China carves out its own spot in Hollywood.

 

[BronsonLee]

BYE SONY

 

[lupinko]

Poor Lionsgate.

 

[CaviarMeths]

Yeah was just saying in the box office thread that we should be concerned about the future of Paramount. They have nothing coming out. No tentpoles in the foreseeable future, with Tom Cruise renegotiating salary for MI6.

 

[BronsonLee]

Yeah was just saying in the box office thread that we should be concerned about the future of Paramount. They have nothing coming out. No tentpoles in the foreseeable future, with Tom Cruise renegotiating salary for MI6.

Tom Cruise is an Agent of China

 

[Guevara]

They're buying everything out there.

 

[BumRush]

Sony should sell and focus on games and TVs

 

[kurahador]

It's either Sony or Lionsgate. Can't be WB though right?

 

[lazybones18]

pls take Columbia from Sony

 

[kruis]

Sony should sell and focus on games and TVs

That's my idea too. Sony Pictures is in a poor shape without big IPs they can build upon. MGM owns the Bond franchise and since Spectre was the last Bond for Sony, the franchise could move to another studio. So what's left?

 

[dramatis]

Even if Sony sold to them though, that's not going to guarantee they'll make good movies lol

 

[Gartooth]

That's my idea too. Sony Pictures is in a poor shape without big IPs they can build upon. MGM owns the Bond franchise and since Spectre was the last Bond for Sony, the franchise could move to another studio. So what's left?

Yeah would they even keep Spider-Man if ownership of Columbia transferred from Sony to Wanda? That's their only tentpole at this point.

 

[br3wnor]

I'm really happy to see China becoming such a big Hollywood player. Hope to see more Chinese based movies with Hollywood size budgets, or better yet, collaborative big budget projects between US and Chinese studios.

Tom Cruise is an Agent of China

Very interested to see what happens with him going forward, he's such a huge name over there, I wouldn't be surprised if he signs a huge deal with whichever studio this Chinese mogul acquires, would be a really smart move for the twilight of his career. (Though does't he have some ownership stake in Paramount?)

 

[neorej]

It's either Sony or Lionsgate. Can't be WB though right?

After 2016, WB can't be worth much. BvS failed, SS failed, Fantastic Beasts isn't looking good.

 

[Ridley327]

It's either Sony or Lionsgate. Can't be WB though right?

Despite their rocky performance at the box office in the past couple of years, I doubt Time Warner is looking to sell the company that still has the rights to what amounts to Most of Film History. Sony and Paramount are far more likely.

 

[HyperZone<3]

not likely WB.

MGM is ripe for the taking tho. They don't really distribute films anymore (that could change), they do have a hugely valuable film library and many exploitable properties (Ben-Hur remake aside).

Paramount and their parent company has had some financial troubles as of late, so has Sony/Columbia. Its not too hard to imagine them just giving up their film divisions for an obscene amount of money.

 

[mjc]

Definitely Sony or Lionsgate. Interesting.

 

[BronsonLee]

After 2016, WB can't be worth much. BvS failed, SS failed, Fantastic Beasts isn't looking good.

lol no

 

[True Savior]

In 5 years American Blockbusters will be cooked inside the Communist Party of China. What a world!

 

[BumRush]

After 2016, WB can't be worth much. BvS failed, SS failed, Fantastic Beasts isn't looking good.

Ugh, come on. Please don't try to start that in here.

 

[Nesotenso]

how does Wanda get all this money?

 

[MrPink93485]

Lionsgate isn't one of the big 6. WB isn't being acquired, they're one of the largest studios around and have a ton of valuable property. The recent DC films arent really bombs like Sony and Paramount have experienced. Despite THR's hit piece, I'm sure SS and BVS will make fine money in the end and the property itself is a gold mine even if the current crop isn't great.

It's either Sony or Paramount. Viacom is looking to sell off their stake of Paramount if I read right recently.

 

[BronsonLee]

how does Wanda get all this money?

Real estate and entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group

welp

 

[Joni]

Guessing Paramount.

 

[wachie]

After 2016, WB can't be worth much. BvS failed, SS failed, Fantastic Beasts isn't looking good.

The age of WB is over.

 

[jon bones]

i hope Disney steers clear of this deal & i hope they continue to limit Chinese exceptionalism from their US releases a la IM3

on the other hand, Sony might appreciate the help financially

 

[jett]

Sony is prime for the taking.

 

[Kieli]

welp

real estate is absolutely ravaging cities worldwide

irks me how something so essential to life is recklessly being commodified for insane profits

 

[Just take it with you.]

They're buying everything out there.

Hide your studios, hide your real estate.

 

[BronsonLee]

It's definitely not Disney. You'd have to pony up an insane amount of money just for their film division, which they would never let go.

real estate is absolutely ravaging cities worldwide

irks me how something so essential to life is recklessly being commodified for insane profits

Have you seen this movie called Brick Mansions

 

[Nesotenso]

welp

no it is more about their acquisitions, throwing money around in, always in the millions if not billions. I thought boom times were over for real estate in China.


How much backing do they have from the communist party?

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

We need more Chinese actor cameos and random detours to China in our American blockbuster movies.

 

[radios shipping overview]

So Wanda already owns theater chains on multiple continents, and they're aiming to buy a major Hollywood studio in order to distribute movies to those chains.

Now we've come full circle since the antitrust breakup of the big Hollywood studio/distribution system in the late 40s/50s. China puts pressure on Western companies via antitrust legislation, so will Western governments just allow a merger like this to happen?

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Gonna be awesome when we can't get movies without the Chinese censors approving them

They are all ready doing that now.

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/05/18/407619652/how-chinas-censors-influence-hollywood

Lionsgate isn't one of the big 6. WB isn't being acquired, they're one of the largest studios around and have a ton of valuable property. The recent DC films arent really bombs like Sony and Paramount have experienced. Despite THR's hit piece, I'm sure SS and BVS will make fine money in the end and the property itself is a gold mine even if the current crop isn't great.

It's either Sony or Paramount. Viacom is looking to sell off their stake of Paramount if I read right recently.

Doesn't Wanda already have some money in Paramount?

 

[Gitaroo]

We need more Chinese actor cameos and random detours to China in our American blockbuster movies.

yupe, nothing agaisnted some nice looking backdrop of china, but all of that seems forced and totally out of place.

 

[AgentChris]

Big money on Paramount.

 

[Joni]

We need more Chinese actor cameos and random detours to China in our American blockbuster movies.

They don't need to. That is only for american films that want to be coproduction. In Chinese hands they just can whitewash as much as they want.

 

[BronsonLee]

Now we've come full circle since the antitrust breakup of the big Hollywood studio/distribution system in the late 40s/50s. China puts pressure on Western companies via antitrust legislation, so will Western governments just allow a merger like this to happen?

China don't care

 

[andythinkpad]

Buy Sony and change back to Columbia Tristar Wanda.

 

[andythinkpad]

yupe, nothing agaisnted some nice looking backdrop of china, but all of that seems forced and totally out of place.

Gravity 2: Drunken Adventure in Chinese Space Station.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

If it's Sony, it'll be great for their business. So it's more of a "Welcome our new overlords" than "BYE SONY".

If it's Sony, Marvel better buy the rights to their properties.

 

[Ridley327]

If it's Sony, it'll be great for their business. So it's more of a "Welcome our new overlords" than "BYE SONY".

If it's Sony, Marvel better buy the rights to their proprtties.

Do you really think that a Chinese company is going to miss an opportunity to own the Spider-Man film rights?

And just because I see some people saying Lionsgate, Lionsgate isn't a major. They had a pretty damn good run for a while there, but that didn't make them a major then and now that the YA boom has evaporated, they're contracting back down to the small-to-mid range budget company that they used to be.

 

[afternoon delight]

In 5 years American Blockbusters will be cooked inside the Communist Party of China. What a world!

It's like poetry, it rhymes. Maybe we'll get less jingoism and more minorities on the screen!

 

[Avixph]

It's like poetry, it rhymes. Maybe we'll get less jingoism and more minorities on the screen!

Like Tibetan people?

 

[Chamber]

After 2016, WB can't be worth much. BvS failed, SS failed, Fantastic Beasts isn't looking good.

Is this a joke post?

 

[Gitaroo]

Do you really think that a Chinese company is going to miss an opportunity to own the Spider-Man film rights?

And just because I see some people saying Lionsgate, Lionsgate isn't a major. They had a pretty damn good run for a while there, but that didn't make them a major then and now that the YA boom has evaporated, they're contracting back down to the small-to-mid range budget company that they used to be.

can't wait for Spiderman: Holiday in China or Kung fu journey.

 

[perfectchaos007]

Doesn't China restrict the # of American movies in their theaters? I wonder if Wanda Productions will be forced to create a certain amount of films in China. And I wonder if their theaters will have to show a certain % of Chinese films to make quota.

 

[Ridley327]

can't wait for Spiderman: Holiday in China or Kung fu journey.

"Give India and Japan their own Spider-Men before us, will you?!"

 

[takoyaki]

Could be Sony, but maybe they are looking at Warner as well.

Wanda already snatched up Legendary after the split with WB and Apple was also considering buying WB at some point late last year. WB has had a couple of rough years with a number of big-budget flops (e.g. Pan) and underperforming movies (e.g. BvS).

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/26/11785064/apple-considered-time-warner-acquisition

 

[Lil'DigiOp]

Maybe then we can get more asian actors >_>