Dalian Wanda Group Corp Ltd, the largest theater owner in China and Asia, signed a US$2.6bn agreement on Monday to merge with AMC Entertainment, the world's second-largest cinema chain, after two years of negotiations. Wanda acquired a 100 percent stake in AMC and assumed its debt.

The agreement also guarantees working capital of no more than US$0.5bn paid by Wanda after the merger, which makes the total value of the deal reach US$3.1bn.

As the world's second-largest cinema chain, AMC Entertainment currently owns 20,000 employees, 346 theaters and 5028 screens. It is also the world's largest operator of IMAX and 3-D screens. In 2011, AMC achieved an audience of 0.2bn and total revenue of US$2.5bn. Wanda's merger with AMC will create the largest movie theater owner in the world.

Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, said at a speech at Tsinghua University in April that the acquisition would be "a merger that surprises the world."

Wanda started the acquisition talks in 2010 with AMC, whose actual owners are investment groups including the Apollo Investment Fund and J. P. Morgan Partners. The merger was confirmed by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) this March. The deal will be settled after the merger is approved by both the Chinese and US governments.

(China.org.cn by Li Xiao?May 21, 2012)

經過兩年談判，中國和亞洲第一大院線公司大連萬達與全球第二大院線集團AMC周一簽署并購協議。萬達并購AMC總交易金額26億美元，包括購買100%股權和承擔債務兩部分。

同時，萬達并購后投入運營資金不超過5億美元，萬達總共將為此次交易支付31億美元。

美國AMC影院公司是排名世界第二的院線集團，旗下共有2萬名員工、346家影院、5028塊銀幕，同時是全球最大的IMAX和3D屏幕運營公司。2011年，AMC觀影人數達到2億人，年收入約為25億美元。萬達成功并購AMC之后，將成為全球規模最大的電影院線運營商。

萬達董事長王健林四月份在清華大學演講時將此次并購稱為“震驚世界的并購”。

AMC的實際擁有者為Apollo投資基金、摩根大通合伙人等投資集團。萬達從2010年起與AMC洽談，歷時兩年，在今年三月獲發改委確認。等中國政府和美國政府審批通過后，交易將正式交割。