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Marvel Gets Cash to do 10 Films
jmozena writes "Marvel has raised $525 million to independently finance 10 movies based on its comics over seven years. The titles named are Captain America, The Avengers, Nick Fury, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Cloak & Dagger, Dr. Strange, Hawkeye, Power Pack and Shang-Chi. The company's also changing its name from Marvel Enterprises to Marvel Entertainment."
Based on the statistics, comic-turn-movies are bringing in around $350 millions each after cost.
It's a pretty safe investment, they just need two good ones to break even, and another 8 crappy ones @ $20m each to have 30% return.
Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
Anyone else notice how those are all the second grade comics of Marvel being done? I mean, seriously, who would want to watch a film about Ant-Man?
I'm sick of following my dreams - I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later.
This has happened before. Right after the initial success of Batman
the movie studios thought that super-hero movies were the way to go. The resulting movies were not made well.
They made Captain America once before. As much as I loved the X-Men and Spiderman movies, Fantastic Four was only so-so,
and bringing back Captain America, they should be careful. Hollywood tends to beat genres to death, wait a while and do it
all over again.
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
Those movies sound terrible. And Hollywood wonders why it's in a slump? You can't make ten of something and have each be interesting/worth $10 in its own right.
Your paranoia is about as subtle as the alien probe in your neck.
there was demigods and hero worship
the roman gods and greek gods or the gods of hinduism, for example
i think there is some sort of psychological sweet spot that superheroes touch in our heads and hearts
it's a meme that monotheism just can't kill
sort of ideal representations of who we think we should be or who we wish we were, and the relationships we have with other elements of society, and the struggle with evil... a social and psychological context that some nameless faceless uberentity that is a monotheistic god just can't satisfy in us
we'll be with superheroes and marvel/dc for a long, long time
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Just my impressions of the list:
Captain America
Didn't they do this one and it sucked?
The Avengers
A facless hero clan. I can't even name a single hero in this group.
Nick Fury
I guess because the Punisher movie worked so well...
Black Panther
Ah, a hero named after a hyper-racist group. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Ant-Man
Honey, I shrunk the superhero!
Cloak & Dagger
Not that Cloak was a completely contrived character, or that Dagger wore far too little clothing, but how could this movie possibly be interesting?
Dr. Strange
Who?
Hawkeye
Ah, Daredevil without charisma, but empowered with a ridiculous costume.
Power Pack
Never heard of them.
Shang-Chi
Is this like the token Asian guy?
I think they probably need to stick with their franchise heros and stay away from these B and C-list zeroes.
Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
Focus more on making sure the stuff that comes out based on its IP doesn't suck, and spend less time filing frivolous lawsuits.
I never really "got" Captain America, I mean I know people can be patriotic and all but a superhero like him seems so lame to me.
Its like a Politician draping themselves in their countries flag. I mean if someone did something like that in my country, and I'm sure a few have, most people would think they were a tool.
Really I'm not flaming I just want to know why he is so popular? Did parents find buying a comic for their kids a lot easier when they knew he was fighting for American ideals?
Uh, I take it we're not talking about John Steed and Emma Peel?
There were four good things about that movie. a)the line "How now, Brown Cow?" b)Emma in her catsuit c)her E-type Jaguar, and d)Emma in her catsuit.
Please help metamoderate.
And why not the Silver Surfer?
Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
so i'm guessing out of 10 movies maybe 2 won't suck
There you have it, folks... the most optimistic man in the world.
I see lots of film flops coming our way in the next seven years.
It's all caused by piracy! Piracy I tell you!
bash$
(somewhere in Hollywood...)
Exec A:
"I'm thinking "The Sandman" from those cool comics, only in the movie he's not some skinny guy, but a musclebound hero!"
Exec B:
"I'm listening..."
Exec A:
"He's got the power of making people sleep, or hallucinate during the day. He fights crime and recharges his magic bag of sleeping dust every night. And his arch-enemy is his own sister, Desire!"
Exec B:
"Good twist. What about the love interest?"
Exec A:
"Well, his girlfriend is a rock-grrl from New York, street-hip and so marketable. We've got sketches of a clothing line"
Exec B:
"I like it. We need to drop some of that touchy-feely crap from the stories. I want action, and long fight sequences. Is that Woo guy available? I'm thinking of a huge fight scene, where the Sandman fights that sister, starting with fists and then getting swords from a wall or something. It'll end with him cutting off her head just when she's about to skewer him. We'll need some special effects though. Do these guys fly?"
Exec A:
"They do now!"
Exec B:
"Shit we're going to make so much money from this. Maybe there's a sequel, and she's not dead but comes back for revenge. It doesn't matter though."
Ever since McCarthyism, they've been focused on ridiculous Superhero/Men In Tights nonsense while the rest of the world has moved on to much more interesting subject matter.
On top of that, while Japanese Manga have been giving people 150 - 200 pages of black and white comics on cheap paper for ten bucks, DC and Marvel think they can make their comics into "collectibles" and sell 15 readable pages (if you take out the ads) for over four bucks.
Hmm... Let me see... Top-notch science fiction, 200 pages for ten bucks, with NO ADS, or crappy kiddie "superman" stories at fifteen pages for four bucks... Let me think...
DC and Marvel just don't get it. They think they're competing with each other, but REALLY, they're competing with Japanese and European companies. And somebody's gonna eat their lunch. Like Masamune Shirow, Mamaru Ooshi, Enki Bilal, Giraud, or Frezzato. People who write INTERESTING, ADULT-LEVEL STORIES that don't involve thinly-disguised magical thinking and wish-fulfillment.
The American comics industry currently appeals only to little kids and adults who obsess over the current value of (I don't know) Batman #6. The collectibles market is SMALL. The entertainment market, on the other hand, is HUGE.
Just look at how much bigger Border's manga section is than their superhero section. That'll open your eyes...
Farewell! It's been a fine buncha years!
...and I pretty much agree that the slate sucks the way it's laid out. But consider this: Marvel has never before made their own films and had controlling interest in them. They've never had creative control to hire/fire screenwriters or directors, and they've only ever gotten a cut of the profits of the movies they make.
This deal is important because it brings a new angle to the way movies get made in Hollywood - we created a mini studio out of a defunct has-been of a comic company, and we're going to do it again. All I'm saying is that you can bash the films all you want, but this is a good precedent because it's putting creative control for the first time in the hands of the creators. I know that in this case, there's no one left who helped create Captain America, but from a company standpoint, we're at the source. Who do you think is working on a deal with Image? Those cats aren't so old - there's a very real chance that they'll get to executive produce (at the very least) their own movies like no comic book geek has ever done before.
Lastly, remember that the slate can (and will) change. I'm hoping that '300' can invigorate the hobbled historical epic genre because the script is good and the concept excellent. Sorry I'm late to the party.
And by "awesome", I mean that Marvel is going to make 10 superhero movies that will all suck. That's a 100% suckage ratio! That's awesome!
Can we please go back to making sci-fi movies that suck please? Or how about another Beastmaster?
fish and pipes
Cap is less a superhero than a super hero, if you'll pardon the wordplay. His strongest "power" is leadership. His only weapon is a defensive one. He acquired his combat skills fighting in a land war that makes Iraq look like a couple of kids on a playground. His work ethic is unmatched.
Captain America symbolizes what any one of us could become, if we persevere.
I was looking at my 42-year-old body the other day, and recalled a Captain America snippet from a 1970's Avengers comic. It showed Cap working out, tirelessly preparing himself for whatever lay ahead. That thought motivates me to work on self-improvement, since you never know what's coming at you next.
Raise your children as if you were teaching them to raise your grandchildren, because you are.