萬達在美國打造最大連鎖電影院線
In a significant consolidation of movie theater holdings, AMC Entertainment will acquire Carmike Cinemas for about $737 million in cash, forming the country’s largest chain with more than 600 theaters, the companies said on Thursday.
AMC娛樂(AMC Entertainment)週四表示，該公司將在一次重大的影院控股公司合併中，以7億3700萬美元現金收購卡麥克影院(Carmike Cinemas)，形成美國國內最大的、擁有超過600家影院連鎖院線。
Under the terms of the deal, AMC will pay $30 a share, up 19 percent from Carmike’s closing price on Thursday. Including the assumption of Carmike’s debt, the transaction is valued at about $1.1 billion.
根據交易條款，AMC娛樂每股將付30美元，相較於卡麥克週四的收盤價格溢價19%。包括卡麥克的債務在內，這場交易的價格約爲11億美元。
The deal is the biggest by AMC since it returned to the public markets in a 2013 stock sale. And it represents a bold effort by AMC’s controlling investor, Wang Jianlin of China’s Dalian Wanda Group, to consolidate the American cinema industry.
這是AMC娛樂自2013年銷售股票重新上市以來規模最大的一次交易。這也代表了AMC的控股人、中國大連萬達集團董事長王健林的一次大膽的舉動，意在鞏固美國的電影業。
Dalian Wanda agreed in January to buy Legendary Entertainment, a film production and finance company, for about $3.5 billion. It bought AMC in 2012 for about $2.6 billion, and is building a large commercial and residential complex in Beverly Hills, Calif., adjacent to the Beverly Hilton hotel, where the Golden Globes and other Hollywood events take place.
大連萬達集團於1月同意了以約35億美元的價格收購傳奇影業(Legendary Entertainment)，一家電影製作與金融公司。該集團於2012年以26億美元收購了AMC娛樂，並正在加州比弗利山上建造一個大型的商業與居住區，毗鄰舉行金球獎頒獎禮和其他好萊塢活動的比弗利希爾頓酒店。
AMC, based in Leawood, Kan., is the country’s second-biggest movie theater chain with 5,426 screens, behind the Regal Entertainment Group. It is particularly strong in large markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
位於堪薩斯州利伍德(Leawood)的AMC娛樂有5426個影廳，是美國第二大的連鎖影院，位列帝王娛樂集團(Regal Entertainment Group)之後。AMC娛樂在大型市場中實力尤其強勁，包括在紐約、洛杉磯和芝加哥。
Carmike, based in Columbus, Ga., has most of its 2,954 screens in midsize cities. The combined companies will be based in Leawood, they said.
位於喬治亞州哥倫布(Columbus)的卡麥克擁有2954個影廳，大部分都位於中等城市。該公司表示，合併後的公司將會設在利伍德。
By comparison, Regal operated 7,361 screens and 572 theaters as of year end.
相較而言，帝王娛樂截止去年底，共管理着7361個影廳和572個影院。
AMC said the deal would increase the geographic spread of its theaters, while allowing it to trim expenses by consolidating administrative operations for the two companies. The company estimated the merger would yield about $35 million in annual cost savings.
AMC娛樂表示交易的完成會帶來院線的不斷擴張，同時通過整合兩家公司的管理機構得以縮減開支。公司估計因此可以每年節省將近350萬美元的開支。
The deal is expected to close by the end of the year, pending approval from regulators and by Carmike shareholders.
這場交易預計會在年底前完成，懸而未決的因素來自於監管機構和卡麥克的股東。
“This is a compelling transaction that brings together two great companies with complementary strengths to create substantial value for our guests and shareholders,” Adam Aron, AMC’s chief executive, said in a statement.
“這是一場矚目的交易，會使兩家原本強大的公司優勢互補，強強聯合，給我們顧客和股東帶來實質的利益。”AMC娛樂首席執行官亞當·艾倫(Adam Aron)在聲明中稱。
Together with Regal, AMC owns Open Road Films, a movie distributor whose “Spotlight” was named best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
AMC娛樂和帝王娛樂都對影業公司開路影業(Open Road Films)持有股份，最近在奧斯卡頒獎禮上斬獲最佳影片的《聚焦》就是這家公司的作品。
Debt financing for the deal will be provided by Citigroup, which also provided financial advice to AMC, while the law firm Husch Blackwell provided legal counsel. JPMorgan Chase and the law firm King & Spalding advised Carmike.
花旗會給AMC娛樂提供有關交易的債務融資情況和其它財務方面的建議，而法律方面的事務則會由法律事務所胡布萊克威爾(Husch Blackwell)負責。而卡麥克一方的經濟和法律事務則由摩根大通和金斯伯丁法律事務所(King & Spalding)負責。
