Marvel to be bought by Disney

[wolfgirl]

On August 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company announced a deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment for US$ 4 billion, with Marvel shareholders to receive $30 and about 0.745 Disney shares for each share of Marvel they own.

Over the decades the company has grown into a stable with some 5,000 characters.

The comic inventions, which also include the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America and The Fantastic Four, will become the intellectual property of Disney under terms of the deal.

Robert Iger, Disney's president and chief executive, said: "We believe that adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation.

"We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney."

He compared the purchase of Marvel to Disney's 2006 acquisition of Pixar Animation for $7.4 billion.

Ike Perlmutter, Marvel's chief exectuive, said Disney was "the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses."

Shares of Marvel jumped 26.08 per cent in New York to $48.73 about an hour after the market opening. Disney's shares dropped 2.05 per cent to $26.29.

Marvel's characters have proved particularly successful at the cinema box office.

Blade, starring Wesley Snipes, based on a minor 1970s Marvel Comics character, grossed £80 million ($131m) worldwide in 1998.

Two years later X-Men, starring Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen, more than doubled that.

Next came the astonishing success of Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, which grossed just over £500m ($821m). It has since spawned two sequels. Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr, released last year, has grossed more than $585m (£359m) worldwide. An Iron Man sequel, as well as films featuring Captain America, Thor and The Avengers are expected over the next five years.

Merchandise like toys, DVDs, and video games – one of Disney's strongest suits – have to date earned Marvel millions more.

Marvel had sales of $676 million last year but employed just 300 people, compared to Disney who made $37.8 billion with 150,000 staff.

But the firm started life as the less catchy Timely Publications, which printed gaudy pulp fiction magazines.

Martin Goodman, a hustling young publisher who for a time in the Great Depression was a penniless hobo, decided to get into comics in the late 1930s as he saw them take off.

Marvel Comics #1 was published by Timely in October 1939, almost exactly 70 years ago.

It quickly sold out and Goodman realised major success was in his grasp.

Less than two years later Goodman appointed Stanley Lieber, the 19-year-old son of his wife's cousin, as the firm's editor – a position he held until he succeeded Goodman as publisher in 1972.

Using the name Stan Lee, he helped Marvel spearhead a new type of superhero in the 1960s, one who while outwardly confident was privately vulnerable.

Such characters as Spider-Man, whose alter ego was the nerdy orphan Peter Parker, revolutionised comic books.

Decades later they helped save Marvel Entertainment itself from the verge of bankruptcy, as audiences packed cinemas to see its flawed characters brought to life on the screen.

But that leap was almost never made.

As far back as the 1970s Marvel set up deals giving Hollywood studios the rights to make films based on its characters.

Despite the success of rival DC Comics in farming out its superheroes Superman and Batman, none took up the challenge.

Only when Marvel set up its own film company in 1996, Marvel Studios, was the leap made.

In 2005 Lee, now 86, won a court battle against Marvel, potentially worth tens of millions, after successfully arguing he had been wrongly cut out of profits from the films.

A statement by Disney on Monday said the boards of both companies have approved the deal. It must still be reviewed by American antitrust regulators and approved by Marvel shareholders.

How do you feel about this??


Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Entertainment

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...vel-to-be-bought-by-Disney-in-2.5bn-deal.html

 

[Popo]

this sucks, disney is little kids stuff, not marvel, x men and stuff like that is not babies comic books

 

[wolfgirl]

I really hope there's no crossover stuff.

 

[echoey]

Now I'll never see a 18 rated version of Spider-Man or X-men, drats.

 

[wolfgirl]

At least Watchmen was DC. Imagine if that had been bought by Disney instead, lol

 

[echoey]

That is true.. I have not seen watchmen... but at least we will still have DC, I really like those new batman films haha shame about heath though.

 

[wolfgirl]

Yeah, everyone will miss Heath


Marvel only really has one good movie IMO, which is Iron Man... I can't WAIT for the sequel

 

[Popo]

the sequel will be for little kids, they take advantage of the movie so little kids buy little ironman figurines to play with a disney figure

 

[Hoady]

Damn man like does this mean no more cool superhero movies?This is gay its not like we can have Aladdin fighting spiderman, spiderman would get his ass kicked.Disney isn't even that good anymore i remember when they were king like the best thing a kid could watch.Aladdin,Jungle Book,Sword in the stone and dumbo!

If its disney though they will probably make big animations with superheros those ones like shrek kung fu panda and toy story.But yeah what if disney goes out for the better and turns violent?Mickey Mouse from Fantasia wouldn't be an easy match.

 

[Romero]

I'm completely indifferent. If Disney buys Marvel, why should we care if we aren't involved in either of the businesses?

I see Marvel is a comic book publisher. Whatever they are producing, it'll probably continue to be produced, given that enough people are buying their products. It's business.

 

[Hoady]

Well i hate all things to do with the buisness side of things because those 'big shots'are all ****ed in the head haha.

Yeah to be honest i don't even care about the 'big films' that happens i rarely watch movies these days, unless i'm just chilling or something.They will make stuff more kiddy but they already got superhero cartoons anyway its not really gonna make much difference.

 

[Romero]

Are they going to make things more kiddy? I doubt they will.
Disney's first objective is to make as much money as possible for the company and the shareholders. They're not doing this by ignoring the more adult market and make everything kiddy. If Disney currently are mostly making entertainment for kids, this can be a way to broaden their scope to include more "adult" entertainment.

 

[wolfgirl]

Are they going to make things more kiddy? I doubt they will.
Disney's first objective is to make as much money as possible for the company and the shareholders. They're not doing this by ignoring the more adult market and make everything kiddy. If Disney currently are mostly making entertainment for kids, this can be a way to broaden their scope to include more "adult" entertainment.

I guess so. The PotC series was a 12 in the UK, which is the most adult thing I've seen them make yet. And that was wholly a Disney thing.

 

[Hoady]

I've never known disney for other things but kids stuff.But yeah i guess they don't give a **** as long as moneys coming in.

 

[wolfgirl]

I think their only rival now financially-speaking is Tesco, LOL

Tesco WILL rule the world

 

[Romero]

Most of the titles and names mentioned here I've never heard about before, Disney being the exception. Disney has ruled all of Norway for 50-60 years.

 

[Hoady]

Most of the titles and names mentioned here I've never heard about before, Disney being the exception. Disney has ruled all of Norway for 50-60 years.

Lol Disney is the next superpower of the world.

Tesco?I've never heard of them there obviously in hiding building masses for the next attack on disney and most probably wage a massive war killing millions...the day is coming.

 

[Deleted member 1428]

Hell no!! Imagine this:

Wolverine: Time to slice up some sentinel robot things *takes out claws*.

Fairy Godmother pops in** No it's to dangerous wolverine! You'll need the magic staff and the book of spells to save the princess from the robots!

Wolverine: Thats right! I must go on a long journey to Neverland to find it!

*time passes and he finally gets the crap* Now time to beat some robots! *Kills robots and saves the princess and they all lived happily ever after*



Nuu D:! I don't want that crap D:!!!

 

[Zombie Enclave]

HEY GAIZ MAH N@MEZZ SPIDAMONTANA, AND TIHS IS MY FWIEND WOVLAHRNICKUUHHH

Hannah Montana and Nick Jones: SpiderMontana and WolverNick

Coming: You wish never

 

[wolfgirl]

LOL let's pray that day never comes

SpiderMontana and WolverNick are trapped by the evvvvvvvvvvvvvvvil lion Scar!! Who will save them?

That's right...









IRONPOOH