Universal Studios will open its first $3.3bn Chinese theme park after 13 years of trying to enter the booming entertainment market.

环球电影公司将在中国建设首座价值33亿美元的主题公园，该公司13年来一直试图进入中国这个蓬勃发展的娱乐市场。

Universal Studios is set to open its first theme park in China

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg will help design the Beijing Universal park, the company said on Monday.

The park is being developed with local state firm Beijing Tourism Group.

Universal is the latest US firm to enter China's fast-growing entertainment sector¹ after rivals Walt Disney and DreamWorks Animation².

The company did not say when the theme park would open, but reports say it will be in 2019. 

Both Disney's $4.4bn theme park and DreamWorks' $3.1bn entertainment complex with Chinese partners are expected to open in 2016 in Shanghai. 

Film studios are in a big rush to build theme parks in the world's second-largest economy as a rapidly-growing middle class is spending more money on entertainment and travel.

In April, Disney said it was increasing investment in its Shanghai Disney theme park by another $800m after striking a deal with a Chinese joint³ venture partner.

Growth in China's entertainment and media market is expected to more than double from 2013 to $148bn by 2015, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers global study.