China's largest private film company has signed an agreement with a yet-announced United States company to fund, co-produce and distribute at least 18 feature films by the end of 2017.

Huayi Brothers Media Corp disclosed the deal on Monday in a regulatory stock filing.

Variety.com, citing sources, reported that the US partner is STX Entertainment, while STX declined to comment.

"To have this distribution and finance capacity, it (Huayi's US partner) must be huge with strong infrastructure and expertise," said Bruce Nahin, a Los Angeles-based producer and entertainment consultant who is the founder of Janick Entertainment.

Huayi's US partner will lead the production, and Huayi will be in charge of the distribution within the Greater China region (Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore).

The two companies will share global revenue and intellectual properties based on investment proportions and other agreements. Huayi also will receive commissions for its distribution within Greater China.

Such an agreement between Hollywood and a Chinese company is the first, according to Huayi.

Having distribution rights to 18 American films also guarantees Huayi quicker and more stable revenue, as well as an advantage over other domestic competitors, said a source connected with Huayi, who requested anonymity because of business ties.

In May, Huayi Brothers unveiled a plan to invest $120 million to $150 million in former Warner Bros.-boss Jeff Robinov's Studio 8 company and would overtake the studio's distribution in Greater China.

"Chinese companies seem to be enthusiastic about investing in powerhouse US films and the companies that make them, as the desire and market for filmed content in China grows," said Arnold.

Chinese real estate mogul Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, told Bloomberg in December that he was in talks with both Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, producer of The Hunger Games, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, maker of the James Bond series. Jack Ma, founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, also visited major Hollywood studios in October.

Please contact us in case of Copyright Infringement of the photo sourced from the internet, we will remove it within 24 hours.