樂(lè)視財(cái)務(wù)困境可能波及中國(guó)演藝界名人

More than a dozen Chinese show business celebrities, including director Zhang Yimou, have invested in the movie production unit of LeEco, the once-high-flying Chinese technology group now suffering from a cash shortage.

一度高歌猛進(jìn)的中國(guó)科技集團(tuán)樂(lè)視(LeEco)現(xiàn)陷入資金短缺困境，包括張藝謀導(dǎo)演在內(nèi)的十多名中國(guó)演藝界名人曾投資其旗下影視制作公司。

The star-studded list of investors in Le Vision Pictures testifies to the charm and influence of Jia Yueting, founder and chief executive of LeEco, who ranked as China’s 31st richest man on a recent list.

樂(lè)視影業(yè)(Le Vision Pictures)明星云集的投資者名單證明了樂(lè)視創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官賈躍亭的魅力和影響力，在新近出爐的中國(guó)富豪排行榜中，賈躍亭位列第31名。

But Mr Jia’s celebrity backers are at risk of losses as LeEco runs into financial distress. LeEco’s Shenzhen-listed unit, Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp, said this month that it had abandoned a plan to acquire Le Vision’s unlisted assets in exchange for cash and stock.

但隨著樂(lè)視陷入財(cái)務(wù)困境，賈躍亭的這些名人投資者們面臨虧損風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。樂(lè)視深圳上市公司，樂(lè)視網(wǎng)信息技術(shù)有限公司(Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp)本月表示已放棄收購(gòu)樂(lè)視影業(yè)賬外資產(chǎn)換取股票和現(xiàn)金的計(jì)劃。

The deal would have allowed the celebrities a chance to cash out, but it fell through after Leshi’s stock price dropped more than one-third since the start of 2016.

這筆交易本可讓這些名人投資者們獲得套現(xiàn)機(jī)會(huì)，但自從2016年開(kāi)始樂(lè)視股價(jià)下跌了三分之一以上，該交易也隨之落空。

Mr Jia said in a letter to employees this month that LeEco had burnt through cash too quickly as it expanded into businesses ranging from smartphones to driverless cars.

賈躍亭本月在給員工的一封信中表示，樂(lè)視在擴(kuò)張過(guò)程中燒錢(qián)太快，其業(yè)務(wù)涵蓋智能手機(jī)到無(wú)人駕駛汽車(chē)，

Le Vision is lead investor in The Great Wall, an English-language epic directed by Mr Zhang and starring Matt Damon. The film’s $150m budget makes it the most expensive Chinese film to date. It is scheduled to be released in China in December and in the US in February, but it has already received criticism online for casting Mr Damon as the saviour of ancient China.

樂(lè)視影業(yè)是電影《長(zhǎng)城》(The Great Wall)的主要投資者，這部史詩(shī)級(jí)英語(yǔ)大片由張藝謀指導(dǎo)，馬特•達(dá)蒙(Matt Damon)領(lǐng)銜主演。1.5億美元的預(yù)算令它成了迄今為止成本最高的中國(guó)電影。該電影計(jì)劃12月份在中國(guó)發(fā)行，明年2月在美國(guó)上演，但網(wǎng)絡(luò)上已有人對(duì)達(dá)蒙扮演古代中國(guó)的救世主提出批評(píng)。

Mr Zhang, director of Red Sorghum and the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, invested Rmb12m ($1.7m) in Le Vision in 2015 in exchange for a 1.4 per cent stake, according to a filing in May announcing the acquisition plan.

根據(jù)今年5月公布的收購(gòu)計(jì)劃，張藝謀在2015年向樂(lè)視影業(yè)投資1200萬(wàn)元人民幣(合170萬(wàn)美元)，換取1.4%的股份。張藝謀導(dǎo)演曾指導(dǎo)電影《紅高粱》(Red Sorghum)，以及2008年北京奧運(yùn)會(huì)(Olympics)開(kāi)幕式。

Le Vision’s other shareholders include Guo Jingming, gender-bending author of bestselling young-adult fiction series Tiny Times who was voted “most hated male celebrity” for three years running on online forum Tianya; Huang Xiaoming, the heart-throb actor and singer whose marriage to model Angelababy dominated Chinese gossip websites last year; and Li Xiaolu, who rose to fame at 16 as star of the 1998 Cultural Revolution epic Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl.

樂(lè)視影業(yè)其他股東包括著有系列暢銷(xiāo)青春小說(shuō)《小時(shí)代》(Tiny Times)的作者郭敬明，知名演員黃曉明，以及16歲時(shí)以主演《天浴》(Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl)出名的演員李小璐。

Despite several successful film releases, including the Tiny Times series of films, Le Vision lost Rmb102m in 2015 and Rmb890m in 2014, according to a Leshi filing. In August, Le Vision hired Adam Goodman, former Paramount Pictures president, to run its US operations.

雖然樂(lè)視影業(yè)成功發(fā)行了包括《小時(shí)代》系列電影在內(nèi)的幾部影片，但據(jù)樂(lè)視公告顯示，樂(lè)視影業(yè)2015年虧損1.02億元人民幣，2014年虧損8.9億元人民幣。今年8月，樂(lè)視影業(yè)聘請(qǐng)前派拉蒙影業(yè)(Paramount Pictures)總裁亞當(dāng)•古德曼(Adam Goodman)來(lái)運(yùn)營(yíng)其美國(guó)業(yè)務(wù)。

In a further sign of problems at LeEco, Faraday Future, the California-based electric car company that LeEco has financed, suspended construction on a new factory in Nevada this month. A Nevada official blamed the halt on overdue payments to Faraday’s contractor.

Faraday Future進(jìn)一步預(yù)示了樂(lè)視的諸多問(wèn)題，這是樂(lè)視資助的位于美國(guó)加利福尼亞州的電動(dòng)汽車(chē)公司，本月該公司暫停了內(nèi)華達(dá)州的一個(gè)新工廠的建設(shè)。內(nèi)華達(dá)州官員將停工歸咎于Faraday Future承包商拖欠款項(xiàng)。

Mr Jia has also drawn celebrities into other ventures, including LeSports. In March, LeSports raised Rmb8bn in a series B funding round that included Wang Baoqiang, the migrant worker-turned-actor who riveted social media in August by publicly accusing his wife of cheating on him with his agent. Mr Wang’s wife denied any affair.

賈躍亭還將名人投資者拉入其他公司，包括樂(lè)視體育(LeSports)。今年3月，樂(lè)視體育B輪融資籌得80億元人民幣，投資者包括演員王寶強(qiáng)。

LeSports has also run into funding difficulties. In January, the company announced it would invest Rmb2bn over two years to acquire a 50 per cent stake in Beijing Guoan Football Club. But in September, Guoan’s chairman said LeSports had not made its first scheduled payment and the deal had been terminated.

樂(lè)視體育也遇到了財(cái)務(wù)問(wèn)題。今年1月，該公司宣布將在兩年內(nèi)投資20億元人民幣，以收購(gòu)北京國(guó)安足球俱樂(lè)部(Beijing Guoan Football Club)50%股份。但國(guó)安董事長(zhǎng)在9月份表示樂(lè)視體育尚未支付第一筆計(jì)劃付款，該交易已經(jīng)終止。