Wanda boss heads for record M&A year with US$16b in deals

Hong Kong

BILLIONAIRE Wang Jianlin is headed for a record year of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as the Chinese tycoon seeks to build an entertainment empire that could challenge Walt Disney Co by the end of the decade.

Mr Wang's AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc raised its offer for Carmike Cinemas Inc on Monday, pushing the total amount of purchases completed or announced by the tycoon's companies to over US$16 billion this year. That's more than triple Mr Wang's M&A total in 2015, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.