Recon Group, the Chinese owner of Aston Villa¹ football club, is taking a $100m controlling stake in Millennium² Films, the Hollywood producer of one of the Rambo films and The Expendables franchise³.

中国企业联合睿康集团(Recon Group)将斥资1亿美元获得好莱坞制片公司千禧年影业(Millennium Films)的控股权。联合睿康是英国足球俱乐部阿斯顿维拉(Aston Villa)的所有者，千禧年影业制作过一部《第一滴血》(Rambo)，以及《敢死队》(The Expendables)系列。

The conglomerate⁴ controlled by Tony Xia is the latest Chinese investor⁵ to pour money into the US entertainment industry, as China’s domestic film market booms. The deals give Chinese groups exposure to Hollywood’s cinematic acumen⁶, while US studios get capital and better access to China’s tightly controlled film market.

联合睿康集团的控制人是夏建统(Tony Xia)，随着中国国内电影市场日趋繁荣，该公司成为新一个投资美国娱乐产业的中国投资者。这些交易让中国企业接触到好莱坞电影智慧，同时也让美国电影企业获得资金，以及更顺畅地进入中国严格控制的电影市场。

Dalian Wanda, the world’s largest cinema owner-operator, has been among the most aggressive, snapping up Dick Clark Productions for $1bn and Legendary⁷ Entertainment for $3.5bn last year, buying AMC movie theatres in 2012, and partnering with Sony Pictures Entertainment and IMAX to invest in film production and cinemas, respectively. Shanghai Film Group and Huahua Media recently struck a $1bn deal to co-finance Paramount⁸ Pictures’ slate⁹ of films for the next three years.

全球最大的影院所有者及经营者大连万达(Dalian Wanda)是其中最积极的一家，该公司去年以10亿美元收购迪克克拉克制片公司(Dick Clark Productions)、以35亿美元收购传奇娱乐(Legendary Entertainment)，2012年买下AMC电影院线，而且分别与索尼影视娱乐(Sony Pictures Entertainment)和IMAX合作，投资电影和影院。上海电影集团(Shanghai Film Group)和华桦传媒(Huahua Media)最近敲定了一笔10亿美元的协议，未来三年将联合为派拉蒙影业(Paramount Pictures)制作的电影提供资金。

Recon said on Thursday that its Recon Holding subsidiary was acquiring a 51 per cent stake in Millennium, an independent film producer founded in 1996 by Avi Lerner and Trevor Short. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter and includes Millennium’s library of nearly 300 films, such as London Has Fallen, the 2011 version of Conan the Barbarian¹⁰ and the upcoming The Hitman’s Bodyguard¹¹.

联合睿康在周四表示，其子公司睿康股份(Recon Holding)将收购千禧年影业51%的股权。千禧年影业是阿维?勒纳(Avi Lerner)和特雷弗?肖特(Trevor Short)于1996年成立的一家独立电影制作公司。预计该交易将于第二季度完成，其中包括千禧年影业近300部电影的片库，如《伦敦陷落》(London Has Fallen)，2011版的《王者之剑》(Conan the Barbarian)，以及即将上映的《杀手的保镖》(Hitman’s Bodyguard)。

Recon will have the opportunity to buy the remaining 49 per cent of the company in the future. Mr Xia will become chairman of the company, with Mr Lerner serving as chief executive and Mr Short becoming chief operating officer.

睿康股份将有机会在未来收购千禧年影业剩余49%股权。夏建统将出任千禧年影业董事会主席，勒纳将担任首席执行官，肖特将成为首席运营官。

“China is emerging as the world’s largest market for premium¹² filmed entertainment and we see enormous value in placing the Chinese market at the forefront of our global strategy,” Mr Lerner and Mr Short said.

勒纳和肖特表示：“中国正逐渐成为全球最大的优质电影娱乐市场，将中国市场列为我们全球战略的重心，让我们看到了巨大的价值。”

“Our films have experienced considerable success in China and in other markets around the world, and we feel there is significant value in partnering with an astute¹³, experienced and well-connected partner to help us execute our long-term strategy of making commercial movies for the global marketplace.”

“我们的电影在中国及全球其他市场都取得了相当大的成功，我们认为与一家精明、经验丰富且有良好人脉关系的伙伴合作具有重要价值，这有助于我们实施为全球市场制作商业电影的长期战略。”

Mr Xia said the deal was “an incredible opportunity for us to build upon Millennium’s premium brand by accessing a film market in China that continues to experience a period of unprecedented¹⁴ growth”.

夏建统表示这笔交易“对我们而言是一个极好的机会，让我们能够在处于空前增长期的中国电影市场打造千禧年影业这个优质品牌”。

Millennium produces five to eight films a year. It says it has generated more than $1.2bn in global box office revenues since 2011.

千禧年影业每年制作5到8部电影，该公司表示自2011年以来其全球票房收入超过12亿美元。