International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP represented AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC), a preeminent US movie exhibitor, in an agreement to be acquired by Dalian Wanda Group Co., Ltd. (Wanda), a leading Chinese private conglomerate and China’s largest investor in cultural and entertainment activities, in a transaction valued at approximately $2.6 billion.
“We are excited to assist on this significant transaction,” said Weil partner Douglas Ryder. “M&A activity in Asia has been robust since the start of the year and we are pleased to have played a role both on this transaction and others thus far this year.”
Weil has been involved in a number of recent significant transactions in Asia including the representation of:
- Yahoo! Inc. in its agreement to sell back half of its 40% stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited for $7.1B
- The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited in its $2.3 billion going-private merger, the largest going private of a US-listed Chinese business
- GE in the historic joint venture with Aviation Industry Corp (deal announced by China President Hu Jing Tao to the US last year)
- GE in the global transmission and distribution partnership with XD Electric Group
- Lion Capital LLP in the $1.9 billion sale of Weetabix Food Co. to Bright Food Group Ltd., in one of the largest overseas acquisitions ever by a Chinese company in the food and beverage sector
The core Weil team was led by New York corporate partner Douglas Ryder and associates Katherine M. Krause and Matthew R. Brush, and assisted by Shanghai partner Anthony Wang, New York partner Michael Nissan and Dallas partner Angela L. Fontana.
