LOS ANGELES – The Walt Disney Co. said Monday it is buying Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing such characters as Iron Man and Spider-Man into the family of Mickey Mouse and WALL-E.
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters. Many of them, including the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, were co-created by the comic book legend Stan Lee.
Analyst David Joyce of Miller Tabak & Co. said the acquisition will help Disney appeal to young men who have flocked to theaters to see Marvel's superhero fare in recent years. That contrasts with Disney's recent successes among young women with such fare as "Hannah Montana" and the Jonas Brothers.
"It helps Disney add exposure to a young male demographic it had sort of lost some balance with," Joyce said, noting the $4 billion offer was at "full price."
Disney said Marvel shareholders will receive $30 per share in cash, plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share they own. That values each Marvel share at $50 based on Friday's closing stock prices.
Marvel shares jumped $10.17, or 26 percent, to $48.82 shortly after the market opened. Disney shares fell 47 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $26.37.
Disney said the boards of both companies have approved the transaction, but it will require an antitrust review and the approval of Marvel shareholders.
Disney last made a big purchase in 2006 when it acquired Pixar Animation Studios Inc., the creator of the "Toy Story" franchise, for $7.4 billion in stock.
Disney CEO Robert Iger said the latest acquisition combines Marvel's "strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters" with Disney's "unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties" and ability to maximize value across multiple platforms and territories.
Marvel earned a net profit of $206 million last fiscal year, up 47 percent from a year earlier, on revenue of $676 million, as it took movie production in house instead of just cutting licensing deals
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: Wesker on September 01, 2009, 12:39:08 AM
I heard about this on Attack of the Show! This just plain SUCKS. Deadpool's gonna go soft, I'll bet! NOOO!!!
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: Flashwerewolf on September 01, 2009, 01:25:57 AM
oh man the next Kingdom Hearts is going to be so crazy. Recessions can cause Monopolies is what I took from this article.
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: kinjo on September 01, 2009, 08:08:46 AM
I read awhile back that marvel was going on its own, so all the movies were going to be more true to the comics and now they are owned by disney. Talk about a serious change of events.
Hopefully this means they will re-open the animation studios here in Orlando. :)
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: tkoold on September 08, 2009, 11:10:25 PM
lol it probably means that kingdomhearts 3 will be HULK SMASH!!!!! or somthing lols..
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: kinjo on September 09, 2009, 07:26:37 AM
now that would be epic
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: Adelaide on September 11, 2009, 06:12:23 PM
Disney already owns Mickey and the Jonas bros... o.o
Marvel comics are like... super heroes and stuff right?
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: kinjo on September 13, 2009, 12:12:35 AM
i heard rumors they might open marvel animation studios in disney hollywood studios
meaning, i would try to work there!
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: willow on September 15, 2009, 05:36:37 PM
on the topic of horrible feats of marvel... lookat this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DsQT2tYSdk
...is horrid. [psyduck]
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: Adelaide on September 15, 2009, 05:50:20 PM
on the topic of horrible feats of marvel... lookat this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DsQT2tYSdk
...is horrid. [psyduck]
Are you kidding?! That was awesome... woah... 24 frames a second.... that's a lot of frames.... I especially like the end scene with the cherry blossom tree behind him
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: willow on September 15, 2009, 08:03:15 PM
but he's wolverine man!!! he's not like... a samurai or something... the whole apperence is so wrong!!!! he's american not japanese!!! and that hair is horrid!!! T^T GAAAAHHH!!!! WHY ADDY WHY?!?!
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: Adelaide on September 15, 2009, 08:13:15 PM
Yes. I dunno much on the whole wolverine bit, i just thought it looked cool o.o
Title: Re: Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for 4 Billion $$$
Post by: tkoold on September 16, 2009, 04:11:39 AM
Lol Wolverine is the thug tough guy who always sais " Outta My Way BuB!" and he is always itchin for a fight