Leeding Media, a specialist in aggregating U.S. movies for the Chinese market, has acquired exclusive digital rights to 95 films from IM Global and Lakeshore Entertainment.
The transaction boosts the number of films that 9-year-old Leeding Media licenses to all Chinese streaming outlets to nearly 500.
The agreement with IM Global covers 47 Intermedia films, including “The Wedding Planner,” “Malcolm X” and “G.I. Jane.” The deal with Lakeshore is for 48 titles.
Leeding Media’s digital film rights include “Million Dollar Baby,” “Whiplash,” “Nightcrawler,” “A Single Man” and “Underworld.”
The company also disclosed Thursday that it has received a “sizeable” investment from China’s WinDigital Investment Fund, enabling Leeding Media to increase its footprint in licensing, co-financing and producing films for the Chinese and global market.
"Our company has been growing steadily and the response has been enthusiastic, as evidenced by our recent acquisition of 95 titles and our attracting WinDigital as an investor,” said Leeding Media’s founder and CEO David U. Lee. “We have built a substantial business that spans licensing, financing, production and consulting services in navigating the Chinese and United States’ entertainment industries.”
"In our continued effort to further expand our library, we are extremely pleased with our new relationship with WinDigital.”
Lindsay Du, General Partner of WinDigital Investment Fund, said the deal is WinDigital’s first outside of China. “This exciting partnership will enable Leeding Media to make more global investments in diverse entertainment and media companies well into the future,” she added.
Leeding Media has also marketed feature films theatrically in China, including “Divergent,” “Insurgent,” “Allegiant,” “Rush,” “The Last Stand,” “Ender’s Game” and “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.