LOS ANGELES: Viacom Inc’s Paramount Pictures reached a deal with the government-run China Movie Channel to produce “Transformers 4” in China.
China Movie Channel said in the joint announcement that the deal marks the first time it will work with a western studio to produce a film in China, although other studios such as Walt Disney Co have entered deals with other parties to produce films there to tap the booming Chinese box office.
The Chinese box office grew 36 percent to $2.7 billion in 2012, reflecting in part the country’s move to open its market to more American movies. It did not lift its annual quota of 20 foreign films, but essentially expanded it through other concessions that pleased Hollywood. For instance, Beijing permitted 14 premium format films, such as IMAX or 3D, to be exempt from the quota, as will the 2D versions of those films
