Marvel Enters Movie Business

Summer movies have gone through a spate of superheroes in recent years. Batman, Catwoman, the Hulk, Spiderman, and Superman have all made it to the big screen – some more than once. There is a market for comic book movies (much to the chagrin of people who think grown-up movies are all too rare), but until now, the comic book publishers weren’t making anything out of the deal. Marvel Enterprises is about to change that by going into the movie biz.

Marvel Enterprises just landed a $525 million, seven-year debt facility to finance 10 films. Each film is expected to run around $165 million to make (special effects cost more than writers and actors), and the PG-13 rating is as restrictive as the plans go. S&P and Moody’s have rated the debt investment grade, which is a far cry from the low-junk ratings the company had a few years ago.

The subjects for the films, according to Marvel (which is changing its name to Marvel Entertainment), are Captain America, The Avengers, Nick Fury, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Cloak & Dagger, Dr. Strange, Hawkeye, Power Pack, and Shang-Chi. These are, apparently, the top properties in Marvel’s stable (although Black Panther may be mistaken for a 1960s documentary). The distribution of the films will be through Paramount.

This is something of a risk for Marvel. If the early films don’t turn a profit, the later ones may be canned. However, management gets points here for seeing a chance to bring some revenue in house in lieu of royalty payments that give the store away. The idea deserves to succeed if for no other reason than it is a sound and calculated risk. Still, the Kensington Review promises to critique “Ant-Man: The Movie” on its merits – if it has any.




© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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