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)

经过两年谈判，中国和亚洲第一大院线公司大连万达与全球第二大院线集团AMC周一签署并购协议。万达并购AMC总交易金额26亿美元，包括购买100%股权和承担债务两部分。

同时，万达并购后投入运营资金不超过5亿美元，万达总共将为此次交易支付31亿美元。

美国AMC影院公司是排名世界第二的院线集团，旗下共有2万名员工、346家影院、5028块银幕，同时是全球最大的IMAX和3D屏幕运营公司。2011年，AMC观影人数达到2亿人，年收入约为25亿美元。万达成功并购AMC之后，将成为全球规模最大的电影院线运营商。

万达董事长王健林四月份在清华大学演讲时将此次并购称为“震惊世界的并购”。

AMC的实际拥有者为Apollo投资基金、摩根大通合伙人等投资集团。万达从2010年起与AMC洽谈，历时两年，在今年三月获发改委确认。等中国政府和美国政府审批通过后，交易将正式交割。