Tencent enters deal to back makers of new Terminator film

Speaking about the Chinese company's foray into the Terminator world, Cheng Wu, vice-president of Tencent and CEO of Tencent Pictures, said that in the United States, sci-fi movies account for 15 to 25 percent of the annual box-office takings, but in China, most people are still waiting for more domestic sci-fi films.

But he added that Tencent Pictures is willing to team up with Chinese filmmakers to explore the genre.

Further displaying its ambition to tap into the global movie market, Tencent Pictures says it will team up with Hollywood talent to make an English version of the film Zombie Brother, an adaptation of one of the most popular comic series on Tencent's digital platform.

In September, Tencent Pictures unveiled its lineup of 43 movie and television productions.

And, on Monday, Cheng updated the production schedules.

Qing Yu Nian (Celebrating An Affluent Year), a 52-episode historical series chronicling a legendary warrior, is around 50 percent complete.

And Mystery of Antiques, a 36-episode suspense series to be adapted from Ma Boyong's namesake online hit about an antique dealer, will air on Tencent's streaming services in the latter half of this year.

Separately, Tencent has signed a strategic alliance with Taiwan martial arts novelist Gu Long's descendants to develop the late author's 57 novels into new franchises, says Cheng.