Disney Acquires Marvel Entertainment!

[Madwelshboy]

Disney Acquires Marvel Entertainment
BURBANK, Calif. & NEW YORK, Aug 31, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- --Acquisition highlights Disney's strategic focus on quality branded content, technological innovation and international expansion to build long-term shareholder value

Building on its strategy of delivering quality branded content to people around the world, The Walt Disney Company (DIS) has agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (MVL) in a stock and cash transaction, the companies announced today.

Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney on August 28, 2009, Marvel shareholders would receive a total of $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own. At closing, the amount of cash and stock will be adjusted if necessary so that the total value of the Disney stock issued as merger consideration based on its trading value at that time is not less than 40% of the total merger consideration.

Based on the closing price of Disney stock on Friday, August 28, the transaction value is $50 per Marvel share or approximately $4 billion.

continues:
http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22747

[Supreme Commander Sil]

Oh no1 It's going downhill

[knowles2]

I think we give up any hope of more mature darker comics films now. Hell I think we can give up hope of any descents films for along time from the marvel universe.


Although I can certainly the financial opportunity that would arise from the deal.

[Giantevilhead]

Disney also owns Miramax, which released The Crow, sex, lies, and videotape, The Crying Game, and Pulp Fiction. Disney owns Miramax as well, which released The Color of Money, Good Morning, Vietnam, Ed Wood, and Starship Trooper.

[the fifth man]

I am really hoping we won't even notice that Marvel was bought out.

[Madwelshboy]

Paramount: 'Thor,' 'Iron Man 2' still coming despite Marvel sale

Paramount Pictures issued a statement today in the wake of Marvel Studios’ sale to Disney, reported earlier. The $4 billion deal won’t affect Paramount’s distribution arrangement for five upcoming films, the studio announced, including the highly anticipated Iron Man 2 and Thor. “Paramount Pictures has enjoyed a productive and fruitful relationship with Marvel Studios from the start of our distribution agreement in 2005,” the statement began. “So much so, we announced a five-picture slate distribution deal last year which includes worldwide distribution rights for upcoming films: Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, Avengers, and Iron Man 3. This distribution deal will be unaffected by today’s transaction. We look forward to continuing to work with Marvel and, with today’s announcement, to working with Disney to replicate the incredible success of Iron Man on all our future collaborative projects.”

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/08/31...t-marvel-sale/

[Zarius]

I am really hoping we won't even notice that Marvel was bought out.

Heh. Good one.

Yeah, I wish it wasnt as big a deal as it is. Really, Marvel have only stuck around for ten years because of shock value. Anything half-decent always faces cancelation or gets "rebooted".

As for fears of the comic content being "toned down"...that probably won't change for the time being, but it inevitably will. Miramax can do just about anything, Disney's animated series are known for risk, but at least they still have a good moral message to them. Marvel's foundation is iconic heroes with strict moral compasses...that's sort of been ignored the last ten years (crap like "Avengers Dissassembled" and "Cival War"), and whilst, as an independent entity they could "experiment" for as long as they wanted to, under a corporate banner that may want to clean things up, they have to act more responsibly to shareholders, commities, and what they beleive the audience is better suited for.

It doesnt mean Marvel will stop being Marvel, but we are likely seeing the slow, but assured end of the "edgier" era that Bill Jemas, Joe Quesada, and Brian Michale Bendis carved to stabalise the company. Frankly, if it means that the Jerry Springer approach to selling comics is going to come to an end, good riddence to bad rubbish. With the exception of Ed Brubaker's runs on Captain America and Daredevil, I havent read a mainstream Marvel comic since 2007, I've stuck mainly with niche titles like Spider-Girl , X-Men Forever, X-Men Legacy, and the Marvel Adventures line.

Hell I think we can give up hope of any descents films for along time from the marvel universe.

Marvel never made consistently good movies in the first place...with slight exceptions (X-Men I and II, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man), many of them are heavily rushed, arent true to the source material, and are unwholesomely cynical towards the audience.

[knowles2]

Heh. Good one.

Yeah, I wish it wasnt as big a deal as it is. Really, Marvel have only stuck around for ten years because of shock value. Anything half-decent always faces cancelation or gets "rebooted".

As for fears of the comic content being "toned down"...that probably won't change for the time being, but it inevitably will. Miramax can do just about anything, Disney's animated series are known for risk, but at least they still have a good moral message to them. Marvel's foundation is iconic heroes with strict moral compasses...that's sort of been ignored the last ten years (crap like "Avengers Dissassembled" and "Cival War"), and whilst, as an independent entity they could "experiment" for as long as they wanted to, under a corporate banner that may want to clean things up, they have to act more responsibly to shareholders, commities, and what they beleive the audience is better suited for.

It doesnt mean Marvel will stop being Marvel, but we are likely seeing the slow, but assured end of the "edgier" era that Bill Jemas, Joe Quesada, and Brian Michale Bendis carved to stabalise the company. Frankly, if it means that the Jerry Springer approach to selling comics is going to come to an end, good riddence to bad rubbish. With the exception of Ed Brubaker's runs on Captain America and Daredevil, I havent read a mainstream Marvel comic since 2007, I've stuck mainly with niche titles like Spider-Girl , X-Men Forever, X-Men Legacy, and the Marvel Adventures line.



Marvel never made consistently good movies in the first place...with slight exceptions (X-Men I and II, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man), many of them are heavily rushed, arent true to the source material, and are unwholesomely cynical towards the audience.

An with Disney on-board the rush to release films will increases, especially with third parties holding the rights to make films for most of marvel other major main titles , and Disney needs to recoup the cost of buy the firm out quickly, they promise to buy back the shares with in the year, and credit firms have decrease the credit ratings of the firm, they will most likely rush out some of the smaller title marvels own and which is can do without interfering in current contracts. Expect to be hearing other films going into production and to cinema pretty soon.

As to Disney doing dark films, yeah they have done it in the past but all Disney going to see at Marvel is dollar signs attach to merchandise sells which means aim for as widest audience as possible, mainly kids forcing there parents to take them to cinema and most all buy as many toys as they can after the film.
Which makes extremely unlikely we will get Watchman type movie from Marvel, which they said they were thinking about doing a few weeks ago. One of the key criticism of Watchman from Hollywood marketing people was that they could not make additional profits from selling toys to children and all the licensing deals with people like McDonald, Disney unlikely to let that happen again.
In the end the marketing people run Disney, which what makes them so successful, an all those marketing people are going to see is flog the toys of marvel heroes or villains to the kids which mean those kids will have to be able to get to see the films and they cannot do that if it eighteens and over now can they .
I not saying they will not do one, I am just thinking it pretty unlikely for the above reasons.

[Madwelshboy]

Confirmation That Disney WILL NOT Interfere In Marvel's Character Development

Before reading the following paragraph from Niki Finke, you need to know whom she is talking about. Bob Iger is the head honcho at Disney and has been after Marvel for quite awhile. Ike Perlmutter is the head honcho CEO at Marvel. These were the two guys responsible for the merger. Now you may read this from Niki Finke:

"Content-wise, the two moguls agreed that Marvel would continue to operate independently of the notoriously micro-managing Disney in the same way that Miramax did under the Weinstein Brothers. Though that probably won't make even hardcore fanboys feel better about the deal they're pissing on all over the Internet yesterday and today. (Given what Iger likes to refer to as the "combustion of digital word of mouth" that operates these days, Iger and Perlmutter have their work cut out for them trying to get skeptical fanboys to believe that Disney has no intention of altering the creative approach which Marvel takes to its comic books and movies. Of course, it helps the corporate confluence between the two companies that Marvel's movie fare has been and will be "PG-13".)

This means that Disney will leave all the character developments to Marvel and not Mickey Mouse them all to hell. This is a marvelous thing. That being said, the future looks pretty bright for comic book movies and it looks like we all will have a generation of them to look forward to.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansit...S/news/?a=9739

[knowles2]

All they have to do to prove that they will be able to work independently of Disney. Is to commission a project, which Disney management and marketing team would never go for. So yeah just commission something like Watchman, in the 18+, ultra violent movie and I will believe them.

[Madwelshboy]

Marvel Sued Over Disney Acquisition

Marvel Entertainment has been hit with two class action lawsuits stemming from its recently announced agreement to be acquired by The Walt Disney Company in a stock and cash transaction valued at approximately $4 billion.

The law Offices of Howard G. Smith announced August 31 that it is investigating potential claims against the board of directors of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. related to the proposed acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including all necessary regulatory and stockholder approvals. According to a press release, "The investigation concerns possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law related to approval of the transaction by the Marvel board of directors."

It was announced over the weekend that Levi & Korsinsky had also filed suit in New York state court challenging the Marvel-Disney deal. A press release from the law firm states, "The transaction values Marvel shares at approximately $50 per share, based on the $26.84 closing price of Walt Disney stock the day prior to the announcement. The complaint alleges that the consideration offered is inadequate because it is less than the intrinsic value of the Company."

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/102/1024471p1.html

[knowles2]

Sound like the deal is in trouble.

[Colonel Rebel]

I was surprised at hearing this when it happened. I think it could be a good thing, as long as Disney stays out of the editorial decisions at Marvel.