Disney to buy Marvel for $4 billion
I ran across this shocker on CNN this morning and thought I’d post a link. Seems there is an offer from Disney to buy Marvel Comics for 4 billion dollars, pending stockholder approval.
This begs two interesting questions: first, what will happen with the Marvel movie production company? Marvel has been doing it right with Iron Man and other offerings lately. If Marvel movies become Disney movies, that does not bode well for the Marvel characters.
Second, what happens in Orlando? Right now the Universal Studios theme park relies heavily on the Marvel characters as part of their Islands of Adventure park. If Disney now owns the rights to the Marvel characters through corporate osmosis, does Universal have a chance to keep the license of those characters for their theme park? The same thing happened when Cedar Fair bought out Knott’s Berry Farms, who had the license for the Peanuts characters in theme parks including Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America. After a long and sorted process, Snoopy and pals packed up and left the Mall of Am,ercia park, which is now Nickelodeon Universe.
If Disney is smart, they will leave the Marvel people to make their own films and keep them un-Disneyfied. Likewise I am sure Universal has a license agreement in place with Marvel that will stay in effect after the sale, but when it’s up for renewal? Perhaps we’ll see the above character running about the Magic Kingdom?
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In today’s Marvel/Disney conference call, they said that all of Marvel’s preexisting licenses and deals will stay in place, but added not too cryptically, “Nothing better than being one.” Reminds me of those “hands off” promises made to Mad not so terribly long ago…
Disney did but Pixar how has that worked out?
I think we all have about five more years until Marvel’s product turns to crap. Enjoy it while you can, folks.
I think I’d have more respect for Disney as a corporation if they did more quality movies like Pirates of the Caribbean instead of piggybacking on everyone elses success.. ie Pixar, ABC, ESPN…
It’s outstanding how much Disney owns in so many areas…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_Disney
“I think we all have about five more years until Marvel‚Äö√Ñ√¥s product turns to crap. Enjoy it while you can, folks.”
Was this post written in 1968?
You’re going to see a ton of ‘straight to DVD’ cartoon Marvel movies done as cheaply as possible. They’re already out there to a degree, but once the Disney machine gets hold of them, the vault will be overflowing.
I just got he has micky mouse ears hehehe