万达青岛影都重金吸引国际眼球
China’s richest man is courting Hollywood studios with a new movie metropolis in the city of Qingdao that will subsidise their production costs to the tune of $150m a year.
中国首富正在利用青岛新建的一家影都来吸引好莱坞制片企业，在这里，他们可以享受每年1.5亿美元的制作成本补贴。
The studio complex adds to a sprawling entertainment empire assembled by Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group. It includes a $3.5bn stake in Legendary Entertainment; the largest cinema chain in mainland China; and AMC Theatres, set to be the biggest chain in the US once it completes the acquisition of Carmike Cinemas.
这座影都是大连万达集团(Dalian Wanda Group)董事长王健林不断扩大的娱乐帝国的一部分。万达集团拥有传奇娱乐(Legendary Entertainment) 35亿美元的股份，旗下拥有中国内地最大的连锁影院以及AMC影院公司(AMC Theatres)。一旦完成对Carmike Cinemas的收购，AMC将成为美国最大的连锁影院。
The free-spending Mr Wang has become the toast of Hollywood for his deep pockets, and is seen as a bridge linking the US film industry to the lucrative Chinese film market.
凭借自己雄厚的财力，出手阔绰的王健林已成为好莱坞的香饽饽，他被视为连通美国电影业与利润丰厚的中国电影市场的一座桥梁。
Wanda started work on the 200-hectare Qingdao complex in 2013, and will begin operations in 2018, the company said. The grounds will include an underwater studio, animation facility and film lots set in Europe and Chinese capitals of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
万达集团表示，公司2013年开始打造这座占地200公顷的青岛影都，并将于2018年开始运营。影都内将包括一个水下摄影棚、动漫设施以及欧陆风情、明清古都等外景区。
In an effort to lure more global movie industry players to China, Wanda will subsidise up to 40 per cent of production costs via rebates for foreign studios that use the Qingdao complex.
为了吸引更多全球电影企业来中国，万达将通过返利的方式为使用青岛影都的外国电影公司提供高达制作成本40%的补贴。
China is set to overtake the US as the world’s largest film market by next year, and already Hollywood is courting Chinese finance and locations in an effort to appeal to the country’s audiences — not to mention state film censors.
明年，中国将超越美国成为世界上最大电影市场，好莱坞早已在寻求中国融资和中国元素，以吸引中国观众——更别提政府的电影审查机构了。
Last year China’s box office revenues rose 48 per cent from a year earlier to $7.1bn, outpacing growth in North America of just 7 per cent, to $11.1bn.
去年，中国的票房收入同比增长48%，至71亿美元，远超北美仅7%的增速（至111亿美元）。
“China will be half of the global market,” Mr Wangsaid in Los Angeles this week. “If you want to make money in this market, you will have to understand and please Chinese audiences.”
中国将占到全球电影票房市场40%到50%的份额，王健林本周在洛杉矶表示，“那么你想在中国市场上分一杯羹，去赚到钱，你就一定要了解中国观众，你就要想办法讨好中国观众。”
The links between Hollywood and China are growing as Chinese companies increasingly make inroads into the US entertainment industry.
随着中国企业不断进军美国娱乐产业，好莱坞与中国之间的联系正变得日益紧密。
Earlier this month, Alibaba’s Jack Ma took a minority stake in Steven Spielberg’s film group Amblin, while last month Wanda and Sony Pictures Entertainment agreed to co-invest and market films in China.
本月早些时候，阿里巴巴(Alibaba)的马云(Jack Ma)收购了史蒂芬.斯皮尔伯格(Steven Spielberg)旗下影业集团Amblin的少数股份，而上月，万达与索尼影视娱乐(Sony Pictures Entertainment)达成了共同在中国投资、制作电影的协议。
James Li, a partner at Fanick Technology, a Beijing-based data consulting company for the film industry, said cross-pollination would be good for mainland film-making. “China’s moviemaking is way behind in the industry, and will benefit from more access to Hollywood productions,” he said.
位于北京的电影业数据咨询公司Fanick Technology的合伙人James Li表示，相互借鉴将有利于内地的电影制作。“中国的电影制作在业内远远落后，但将受益于更多地接近好莱坞电影制作，”他说。
He added that another motivation for Dalian Wanda, which is primarily a developer of shopping malls across China, was to boost the value of its adjacent real estate holdings. Plans include a series of resorts and residences near the film complex in Qingdao.
他还表示，作为一个主要在全国建设购物中心的开发商，大连万达的另一个动机是要提升周边房地产的价值。万达的计划在青岛影都附近建设一片度假村和住宅。
Wanda said studios including Lions Gate Entertainment, ArcLight and Wanda’s own Legendary Entertainment have signed on to use the facility. Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, a sequel to Legendary’s 2013 action science-fiction film, will be the first US feature to shoot at the Qingdao studio, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
万达表示，狮门娱乐(Lions Gate Entertainment)、ArcLight及万达旗下传奇娱乐等电影公司已经签约利用该影都拍摄电影。《好莱坞报道》(Hollywood Reporter)称，传奇影业2013年动作科幻电影《环太平洋》(Pacific Rim)的续集《漩涡》(Maelstrom)将成为首部在青岛影都拍摄的美国故事片。
