By Dawn C. Chmielewski and Ben Fritz
The LA Times Online
Disney to buy comic book powerhouse Marvel
Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and the Fantastic Four are among the 5,000 characters it hopes will inspire countless movies, TV shows and video games.
Mickey Mouse is bringing in some muscle.Significantly beefing up its stable of characters, Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that it had reached a deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc., the comic book company whose superheroes have become Hollywood blockbusters, for $4 billion in cash and stock.The acquisition hands Disney a treasure trove of pop culture figures, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and the Fantastic Four, among a roster of 5,000 that it hopes will inspire countless movies, television shows and video games.In recent years a risk-averse Hollywood has become increasingly reliant upon comic book-based stories that appeal to an established -- and heavily male -- fan base. With Marvel, Disney gets one of the heaviest-hitting creators of superheroes.Marvel, despite its rich library of characters, has limited experience making its own movies. Until it produced last year's "Iron Man," the company licensed its characters to other studios.
The LA Times Online
Disney to buy comic book powerhouse Marvel
Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and the Fantastic Four are among the 5,000 characters it hopes will inspire countless movies, TV shows and video games.
Mickey Mouse is bringing in some muscle.Significantly beefing up its stable of characters, Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that it had reached a deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc., the comic book company whose superheroes have become Hollywood blockbusters, for $4 billion in cash and stock.The acquisition hands Disney a treasure trove of pop culture figures, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and the Fantastic Four, among a roster of 5,000 that it hopes will inspire countless movies, television shows and video games.In recent years a risk-averse Hollywood has become increasingly reliant upon comic book-based stories that appeal to an established -- and heavily male -- fan base. With Marvel, Disney gets one of the heaviest-hitting creators of superheroes.Marvel, despite its rich library of characters, has limited experience making its own movies. Until it produced last year's "Iron Man," the company licensed its characters to other studios.
But Disney is betting that with Marvel it acquires the kind of brand-name recognition it gained when it bought Pixar Animation Studios in 2006, especially among teens and young adults, who are the core drivers of the box office. That's an audience segment Disney has struggled to attract, as it has been more successful with families."They've shown a tremendous skill at increasing the commercial appeal of characters like Iron Man that traditionally weren't well known outside of Marvel's core fan community," said Disney President and Chief Executive Robert A. Iger. "And we believe there's further opportunity to mine Marvel's rich intellectual property portfolio."To Read The Entire Story: LATimes.com
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