The Hunger Games novels depict savage fights to the death among competing duos in a dystopian hellscape. The ascendant Chinese media company Dalian Wanda Group and US entertainment company Lions Gate should bear that image in mind.
Wanda is circling Lions Gate. The US company is the modest-sized but successful studio that brought The Hunger Games to the big screen. It would make a juicy addition for Wanda, which aims to own a fifth of global movie business by 2020.
Lions Gate has struck gold in recent years by betting on youth-oriented franchises — it is behind not only The Hunger Games but also the teen angst-ridden vampires in Twilight, among others. Revenue from its television offerings (including the Netflix series Orange is the New Black), its DVD business and its 15,000 title film library are important as well. Lions Gate has also made good use of multichannel distribution through movie theatres, TV broadcast, cable networks and online streaming.