WSJ: “Just months after grabbing a chunk of the U.S. movie-theater market, China’s Dalian Wanda Group Corp. is moving toward becoming a global power in film exhibition, holding talks to purchase a European chain.
The talks follow Wanda’s $2.6 billion purchase last year of the second-largest U.S. chain, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., which has nearly 5,000 screens at 344 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
A Wanda spokesman said the conglomerate has held talks to buy a European chain but declined to provide further details.
People familiar with the situation said the conglomerate has shown interest in at least two of the Continent’s largest chains, Odeon & UCI Cinemas Holdings Ltd. and Vue Entertainment Ltd., both based in the U.K. and with thousands of screens in multiple countries. There are other European chains that Wanda could target as well.
In addition to AMC, Wanda operates 1,000 screens in China, the world’s second-largest movie market, and is aiming to expand to 2,000 by 2015, Chairman Wang Jianlin said last year.
Acquiring a big chain in Europe could make Wanda a major player in both ends of the film business; Mr. Wang has said he wants to invest in making movies in China and elsewhere. Wanda representatives have had talks with Hollywood studios about co-financing a slate of U.S. productions, people close to the discussions said.
Owning European theaters also could give the Chinese company significant leverage when negotiating the terms under which it splits box-office revenue with Hollywood studios.”
via China’s Dalian Wanda Makes a Play for European Movie Theaters – WSJ.com.
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