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The article reports on the factors that contributed to the decline in the box-office sales of American films released in China. Topics mentioned include the initiative of the film industry in China to produce high-quality films that have appeal with Chinese audiences, the move by Chinese filmmakers to create films that are aligned with the Communist Party's doctrines, and the need to examine Chinese pop culture, audiences, and market.

The article discusses the American mass media company Walt Disney's efforts to establish business in Shanghai, China, including Disney chief executive Robert A. Iger's effort to establish a Tomorrowland Park in the city. An overview of the Chinese Communist Party's role in running Disney's theme park in Shanghai is discussed.

The article reports that the Walt Disney Company has decided to close Disney English, a chain of several language schools in China, ending a business that prompted questions about education as marketing.

The article discusses the Chinese entertainment conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group's acquisitions of American film and television studios, including the company chairman Wang Jianlin's perspective on Dalian's profits and Dalian's purchase of the American entertainment company AMC Theaters.

The article reports on the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort in China in 2016. Topics covered include the cost of the construction of the establishment of Walt Disney Co. in the city and impact of the amusement park on its economy. Also mentioned is the inclusion of a shopping complex in the facility.

The article discusses the U.S. motion picture industry's advertising to Chinese consumers and motion picture fans, including within movie theaters in China. An overview of the Chinese movie information and marketing company Mtime founded by its chief executive Kelvin Hou, including in regard to its merchandising partnership with the U.S. mass media and entertainment company Walt Disney Studies, is provided.

The article discusses the sale of the Cirque du Soleil circus act to a group of private equity investors led by private equity company TPG, highlighting plans to expand Cirque du Soleil into China. Topics addressed include a growing demand for Western entertainment and increasing leisure spending in China, as well as the impact on Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté and on Quebec, Canada where the act is based.

The article discusses plans to open a thrill ride, photo pavilion and shopping area based on superhero Iron Man at the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park in 2016. Topics addressed include Disney's growth strategy in China, including plans for a resort in Shanghai, and improvements in attendance and profits at Hong Kong Disneyland since its opening in 2005.

The article discusses an investigation from the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission into possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by motion picture industry officials attempting to trade motion pictures with China. According to the article, U.S. motion picture executives are concerned that the investigation may impede collaborations with the Chinese film industry.

The article discusses collaboration between American movie studios and Chinese government censors in order to ensure that films may be shown in China, and examines the importance of the lucrative Chinese film market to the American film industry. The process of gaining approval from censors including pre-screening films and changing elements which cause concern is also explored.

The article reports on the opening of the new resort by the Walt Disney Co. in China.

The article reports on the disagreement between China Film Group and American film industry regarding value-added tax on movie tickets.

LOS ANGELES -- AMC Entertainment, which owns the second-largest movie theater chain in North America, is in talks to sell the company or a significant stake in it to the Wanda Group, one of China's largest theater owners, according to people briefed on the discussions. If completed, the deal will begin a new phase in China's push into the global film industry by sharply increasing its leverage with Hollywood and creating the first theater chain to have a commanding presence in the world's two largest movie markets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

LOS ANGELES - One of Hollywood's top film financiers and producers is making a big push into China. Legendary Entertainment, which is affiliated with Warner Brothers and has backed hits like ''The Dark Knight'' and ''The Hangover,'' completed a deal on Thursday with the Huayi Brothers Media Corporation of Beijing to form a new movie and television company. Their ambitious goal is to make English-language films and TV shows in China that can be exported to the rest of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LOS ANGELES -- Imax has reached a deal valued at about $100 million to open 75 new theaters in China, a move that underscores the degree to which the movie exhibition business is surging there. Imax, the large-format film company, said late Wednesday that it would team with China's largest theater operator, Wanda Cinema Line Corporation, to build the theaters by 2014. Imax currently has 45 theaters open in China, with an additional 57 in the works. The company expects to have 300 theaters operating in China by 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

LOS ANGELES -- Christopher J. Dodd, the former Democratic senator of Connecticut, was named as Hollywood's top lobbyist on Tuesday, a move that might initially prove tricky because of lobbying restrictions for former members of Congress. The Motion Picture Association of America, which is counting on Mr. Dodd to revive its diminished influence, announced that he would take over on March 17 as its chairman and chief executive. The job, which will pay about $1.5 million a year, will require Mr. Dodd to push a Hollywood agenda in Washington that includes a more aggressive government stance against piracy and an effort to persuade China to lift limits on the distribution of Western movies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a courtship of about 20 years, the Walt Disney Company has won approval from the central government of China to build a Disneyland-style theme park in Shanghai, Robert A. Iger, Disney's chief executive, said Tuesday. The agreement for a Shanghai Disneyland is a landmark deal that carries enormous cultural and financial implications. Analysts estimate the initial park -- not including hotels and resort infrastructure -- will cost $3.5 billion, making it one of the largest-ever foreign investments in China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

WHEN Karen Gammiere heard that the Walt Disney Company had started offering guided tours to places like Peru and China, the San Diego mother of two was skeptical. She didn't want to arrive at the Great Wall of China to find Winnie the Pooh shaking her hand. ''Shudder,'' she said. Still, Ms. Gammiere decided to risk it after reading glowing online reports, booking a nine-day Disney tour called Viva Italia that would take the family to Rome, Florence and Venice. The verdict: ''We loved everything about it and so did the kids,'' she gushed, citing adults-only wine tastings and first-class Eurostar train seats. ''And I never once saw a costumed character,'' she said. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Securities and Exchange Commission has begun an investigation into whether some of Hollywood's biggest movie studios have made illegal payments to officials in China to gain the right to film and show movies there, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation. The inquiry creates a potential roadblock for the industry's plans to expand in one of the world's largest markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LOS ANGELES -- Any foreign movie knocking on China's door must pass through powerful gatekeepers -- the China Film Group and its chief executive, Han Sanping. The China Film Group functions as the Chinese government's guardian of a film market that recently shot past Japan's to become the world's second-largest in box-office receipts behind the United States. On a broad array of business dealings -- censorship, distribution and co-productions, among others -- it is the conduit for foreign moviemakers hoping to make or distribute films in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]