As it continues to ramp up its activity in China, IM Global has signed an output deal with production and distribution outfit Enlight Pictures to handle worldwide sales outside of the Middle Kingdom on the company’s upcoming slate.
IM Global will handle sales for up to six titles from Enlight’s slate starting at Filmart in Hong Kong with Alec Su’s The Devotion of Suspect X. The compelling thriller stars Wang Kai and Ruby Lin and is based on the award-winning and critically acclaimed Japanese novel by Keigo Higashino. The film will be released in China on March 31. China Lion has North American, UK, Australian and New Zealand rights.
“We’ve really enjoyed working with our partners at Enlight on previous projects together and we’re delighted to be extending the relationship into a multiple picture arrangement,” said IM Global founder and CEO Stuart Ford. “This deal also emphasizes our commitment to building a global audience for the best of Chinese cinema.”
The deal was negotiated by SVP Sales and Acquistions Asia Leslie Chen on behalf of IM Global and by international sales and distribution Manager Heidi Sun on behalf of Enlight Pictures.
Enlight Pictures’ upcoming slate includes Yi-chi Lien’s romance All About Secrets, Dong Chengpeng’s comedy-drama City of Rock and Han Yan’s actioner Animal World.
IM Global has been an active player in the Chinese film industry since opening a Beijing office in 2013 and has previously handled international sales for Enlight Pictures Buddies In India, which grossed $108M in China; Mojin: The Lost Legend, which grossed more than $300M and was produced by Enlight along with Wanda and Huayi Brothers; Zhang Yibai’s I Belonged To You, which earned $100M in China; Shupeng Yang’s Blood of Youth; and Timothy Kendall’s Hollywood Adventurers produced by Justin Lin.
The company has also handled international sales on a raft of big budget Chinese titles including Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid, which has grossed $545M worldwide to date and Huayi Brothers’ Mr Six, which earned $138M worldwide.
