Imax Archives ~ Page 2 of 2 ~ Business China : news for investors in China

Market Eyes IPOs For Wanda Theaters, Property

By newsdoug on January 23, 2014

I don’t usually pay too much attention to the domestic Chinese IPO market, largely because most companies that list on the main boards in Shanghai and Shenzhen are stodgy state-run firms that aren’t open to foreign investment anyhow. But new reports that fast-rising real estate and entertainment star Wanda Group is planning 2 new offerings this year actually got me just slightly excited, especially as word buzzes that one of those will be for the company’s rapidly expanding China-based theater chain. While such an offering would almost inevitably come on one of the mainland-based stock exchanges, it would also probably attract huge attention from global investors if Wanda’s billionaire founder Wang Jianlin were to consider a dual listing in Hong Kong. Read Full Post…

Weibo: TCL Hypes Imax JV, Everyone Hypes Woz

By newsdoug on January 16, 2014

The microblogging space was buzzing with a bit of the past, the present and the future last week, with executives from some of China’s top gadget and Internet companies all hyping their various agendas in cyberspace. In a blast from the past, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) co-founder Steve Wozniak was all over the place in microblog postings from a number of tech companies executives he visited on a trip to China.

In the present, meanwhile, TCL (HKEx: 1070; Shenzhen: 000100) Chairman Li Dongsheng was at the CES trade show in Las Vegas and also attended a board meeting of Imax (NYSE: IMAX), using both opportunities to hype a new home theater tie-up with the US-based large screen movie format specialist. In the future, Long Wei, the low-key founder of leading online restaurant critic site Dianping, was hyping his company’s recent global expansion, perhaps hinting at more to come. Read Full Post…

Digital Domain’s New HK Owner, Wanda’s Imax Affair

By newsdoug on July 30, 2013

Digital Domain gets new owner, Wanda expands Imax ties

A couple of news bits are highlighting China’s rapidly blossoming love affair with Hollywood, and also hinting at the turbulence we’re likely to see in the next couple of years as Chinese firms invest too much as they become smitten with show business. One of those deals has US digital effects house Digital Domain being taken over by a new Chinese owner less than a year after it was purchased out of bankruptcy by a Beijing-based film producer. The other has leading theater chain owner Wanda Group significantly boosting its ties with Canada’s Imax (Toronto: IMX), as it invests heavily in Imax’s big-screen technology. Read Full Post…

News Digest: July 27-29

By newsdoug on July 29, 2013

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 27-29. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Activision (Nasdaq: ATVI) Goes Solo In $8.2 Bln Deal, Tencent (HKEX: 700) Invests (English article)
EU, China Resolve Solar Dispute – Their Biggest Trade Row By Far (English article)
US Extends Review Of Shuanghui, Smithfield (NYSE: SFD) Merger (English article)
Wanda Orders Up to 120 New Imax Theaters for China （English article)
TMall Daily Mobile Gross Merchandise Value Exceeds 100 Mln Yuan (English article)
Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

HNA Goes to Hollywood 海航走向好莱坞

By newsdoug on May 31, 2012

RealD plays on China theater drive The huge potential of China’s box office is back in the spotlight again today, with word that US technology company RealD (NYSE: RLD) will install its 3D technology on a major new theater chain with up to 500 screens being set up by a unit of HNA Group, one of China’s more entrepreneurial business groups. (company announcement) The announcement by HNA Vigor Film Investment comes less than 2 weeks after China’s largest movie theater operator, Wanda Group, announced it will buy AMC Entertainment, the second largest US movie theater operator, in a landmark plan that also includes major facility upgrades. (previous post) All this shows how much potential these companies see in China’s movie market, now the world’s second largest, and also underscores their determination to take advantage of a newly relaxed quota for the import of foreign films that now command the big majority of the country’s fast growing box office. Let’s take a look at this latest news, which has HNA Group getting into the movie theater business with a big move that will make it one of China’s top movie theater operators, behind Wanda’s 730 screens in 86 movie theaters. Equally important, the installation of 3D technology in its new theaters means that HNA will be eligible to show films under China’s newly expanded quota for imported foreign movies. After limiting the annual import of foreign films to 20 for many years, China recently raised the figure by allowing in additional 14 movies in high-tech formats like 3D. That could mean a 40 percent increase in box office sales, as foreign films currently dominate a sector that generated more than $2 billion last year and whose sales could top $5 billion by 2015 as more affluent Chinese are willing to pay relatively expensive ticket prices to see big-budget films. The domestic film-making business has also gotten a lift in recent months, with global animation leaders Disney (NYSE: DIS) and DreamWorks Animation (NYSE: DWA) both setting up joint venture animation studios in China earlier this year. (previous post) Look for this trend to continue, with movie theaters quickly multiplying in China’s biggest cities to meet the growing demand from affluent Chinese eager to see a growing number of top-notch films coming into the country. That should play well not only for the theater operators and movie makers, but also technology and equipment makers like RealD and Imax (NYSE: IMAX).

Bottom line: Real ID’s tie-up to install 3D technology in HNA Group’s new theater chain marks the latest step the recent boom for China’s movie industry.