According to the Associated Press, the Walt Disney Company will purchase comic book and action hero company Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion.
If Marvel shareholders approve the deal, they would receive $30 per share in cash and 0.745 shares of Disney for each share of Marvel that they hold.
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Marvel including its more than 5,000 Marvel characters. Mr. Perlmutter will oversee the Marvel properties, and will work directly with Disney`s global lines of business to build and further integrate Marvel`s properties.
“This transaction combines Marvel`s strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney`s creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories,” said Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “Ike Perlmutter and his team have done an impressive job of nurturing these properties and have created significant value. We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney.”
“We believe that adding Marvel to Disney`s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation,” Iger said.
“Disney is the perfect home for Marvel`s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses,” said Ike Perlmutter, Marvel`s Chief Executive Officer. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney`s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world.”
No word yet on when the first Spider-Man, Mickey Mouse crossover will be.
As a share holder in Marvel I will be voting no to thebuyout. Disney would synthesize and homogenize classic characters and detract from Marvel’s rich history. They would also walk all over the righters of the artists and writers, creator owned Marvel projects would become a thing of the past. This buy out will only end badly.
Please say it is not so!!!!! To eloquint, thanks for voting no. This is the a bad move for Marvel. Disney ruins everything it touches just about. No, No No 🙁
I understand Pixar. They fall in that “Good Family Entertainment” category and it is a good fit. Disney let’s them do their thing because it is adding to the value of the House of Mouse. But Marvel??? Really??? What exactly is family about an alcoholic superhero that kicks ass and takes names? Or a raped woman that turns to a life of vigilante justice and destroys half the city in a blind fury of rage?
I have a bad feeling about this… *sigh*
J.C. Hutchins said it best on Twitter. “The Disney *corporation* has acquired Marvel. Expect movies to roll out under less “childish” sub-studios. Lot of frettin’ for nothin’.”
Couldn’t have sad it better myself.
Let’s see, what could the possible foreseeable future of Marvel owned by Disney be?
Wolverine: Public Service Announcements for anger management.
Cyclops branded sunglasses/visors
Peter Parker: Spokesman for stem-cell research.
OK. Yeah. This could really suck… Please Vote NO
First Obama buys up GM and now Disney owning Marvel! This is tantamount to the apocalypse. The end is definitely near if this deal goes through.
Time will tell. In the short term it will be business as usual. Middle term, changes will happen. Long term, dilution of the Marvel brand and more “kid/tween” friendly movies.
Does this mean we will NOT be seeing “Wolverine VS House of Mouse” the “bucket of blood” edition??
How about “Venom and the Seven Dwarfs”? “Cinderella VS Daredevil”? “Bambi and Punisher VS Godzilla”?