Enlight and Seven Stars Tightens Partnership

Jun 29, 2025 CFM Co-production, Daily, Industry, Production 0

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BEIJING June 29, 2025 - Beijing Enlight Media Co announced that its subsidiary Hong Kong Pictures International Co had acquired a 25 percent share of Hong Kong-based Dragon Entertainment Private Ltd for $26.5 million.

Dragon Entertainment was co-founded in Nov 2013 by two veteran Hollywood producers, Marvel Studios founder and former Marvel Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Avi Arad and Seven Stars Entertainment & Media CEO Bruno Wu.

Arad, the man behind the SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN and IRON MAN franchises as well as THE INCREDIBLE HULK and THE FANTASTIC FOUR, helped Marvel Studios emerge from bankruptcy into the powerhouse that it is today.

Born in China and educated in the U.S., Wu heads the global entertainment conglomerate Sun Seven Stars Entertainment & Media Group, the parent company of Seven Stars Entertainment & Media. Seven Stars develops content in both Asia and North America.

Dragon Entertainment looks to develop superhero franchise properties across a range of media channels in China, including live-action features, animated television series and merchandising.

Moving toward Hollywood

Enlight says the share placement will give them priority to get involved in the development of films, television series, games and other products produced by Dragon Entertainment, and believes the company’s Hollywood elements will help Enlight enter the international markets and improve their industry chain.

Dragon Entertainment is developing at least five potential franchises including RISE OF THE TERRACOTTA and has bought the adaptation rights to James Patterson’s MAXIMUM RIDE series.

The young adult novel franchise features six teenagers who are 98 percent human and 2 percent avian. Their adventure was led by Maximum “Max” Ride, a female protagonist. The book has tens of millions of fans and numerous fan videos on YouTube. Its strong female leader shares a lot in common with Katniss Everdeen in HUNGER GAMES.

It is not the first time that Enlight works with Seven Stars Entertainment. During last year’s Shanghai International Film Festival, the two companies formed a new film studio, Shanghai Star Film Co, to provide the international markets with premium content.

Shanghai Star has already revealed its first batch of projects - three TV series and 10 films including the currently on release comedy HOLLYWOOD ADVENTURES and a 3D remake of the 1983 Chinese classic THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE, both involved Justin Lin. So far, HOLLYWOOD ADVENTURES has received horrible reviews, yet remarkable revenue at the box office.

Moreover, the two companies are building a film theme park together in Shanghai. Construction of the Chinese version of Universal Studios will start this year and is expected to complete in five years.

Unique cooperation model

Apart from Enlight, Bona Film Group, Huayi Brothers along with Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary Co all made moves into Hollywood this year.

Bona Film together with Jeff Robinov’s Fosun-backed Studio 8 have partnered with Tom Rothman’s TriStar and Film4 on the adaptation of Ben Fountain’s novel BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK, which Ang Lee is directing.

Huayi Brothers formed a strategic partnership with US-based newly founded STX Entertainment. Huayi Brothers will co-fund, co-produce and co-distribute nearly all STX films until the end of 2017 and will have a first-look distribution deal on most STX titles in China.

Hunan TV & Broadcast, on the other hand, teamed with Lionsgate to co-finance a slate of films covering qualifying Lionsgate feature films including NOW YOU SEE ME 2, the sequel to Lionsgate’s 2013 blockbuster. Hunan will invest worth up to $375 million over the next three years.

In China, sometimes the case is the bigger the announcement, the less real the deal. Thus far, Enlight has been the first and only one that has released a Hollywood-made Chinese film.

According to Wu, the partnership between most Chinese companies and Hollywood studios are still conducted in a traditional way as they work with production companies instead of producers.

Wu said in Hollywood, production and distribution companies take most of the film’s revenue. Producers cannot gain a fair share no matter how successful the film is. Wu believes in this case, they will not give them their best projects.

He says Seven Stars is building a new model to motivate producers. The company strikes deals directly with Hollywood producers and thus gives them more freedom. They could have as much as a 50 percent stake in their film. Wu has already created joint ventures with a number of Hollywood producers, among which he reveals Justin Lin and Avi Arad are his two secret weapons.

However, it’s still too early to say whether the old model is falling apart and whether the new model will fit into the framework. Only their co-productions could tell who are able to survive amidst the changing market.

 

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