Background
editTimely era
editDuring what is known as Marvel's Timely era, Captain America was licensed out to Republic Pictures for a serial just for the free advertising. Timely failed to provide any drawing of Captain America with his shield or any further background, and Republic created a whole new background for the character, and portrayed the character using a gun.[1]
Marvel Entertainment Group's initiative
editIn the late 1970s up to the early 1990s, Marvel Entertainment Group (MEG) sold options to studios to produce films based on Marvel Comics characters. Spider-Man, one of Marvel’s superheroes, was optioned in the late 1970s, and rights reverted to Marvel without a film having been produced within the allotted timeframe. From 1986 to 1996, most of Marvel’s major characters had been optioned, including the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Daredevil, Hulk, Silver Surfer, and Iron Man.[2] A Howard the Duck film made it to the screen in 1986, but was a box-office flop. New World Entertainment purchased MEG in November 1986[3] and moved to produce films based on the Marvel characters. It released The Punisher (1989) before MEG was sold to Ronald Perelman's Andrews Group. Two other films were produced: Captain America (1990) released in the United Kingdom on screens and direct to video in the United States, and The Fantastic Four (1993), not intended for release. Marvel's rival DC Comics, on the other hand, had success licensing its properties Superman and Batman into successful films.[4]
Marvel Films / Marvel Studios
editFollowing Marvel Entertainment Group's (MEG) ToyBiz deal in 1993, Avi Arad of ToyBiz was named President and CEO of Marvel Films division and of New World Family Filmworks, Inc., a New World Entertainment subsidiary. New World was MEG's former parent corporation and later a fellow subsidiary of the Andrews Group.[5] Marvel Productions became New World Animation by 1993 as Marvel would start up Marvel Films including Marvel Films Animation.[5][6][7][8]
In August 1996, Marvel created Marvel Studios, an incorporation of Marvel Films, due to the sale of New World Communications Group, Inc., Marvel's fellow Andrews Group subsidiary in film and television stations, to News Corporation/Fox. Filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to raise money to finance the new corporation, Marvel, Isaac Perlmutter's Zib, Inc. and Avi Arad sold Toy Biz stocks, which Marvel had started and took public in February 1995.[2][9]
Licensing movies
editThe first film licensed by Marvel Studios was Blade, based on the vampire hunter Blade. The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and starred Wesley Snipes as Blade. It was released on August 21, 1998, grossing $70,087,718 in the United States and Canada and $131,183,530 worldwide.[10] In 1999, Marvel licensed Spider-Man to Sony.[11]
Blade was followed by X-Men, which was directed by Bryan Singer and was released on July 14, 2000. X-Men grossed $157,299,717 in the United States and Canada and $296,250,053 worldwide.[12] The Marvel films Blade and X-Men demonstrated that blockbuster films could be made out of comic book characters not familiar to the general public.[13] By 2001, the success of Marvel Entertainment’s Ultimate Marvel comics created leverage in Hollywood for Marvel Studios, pushing more properties into development.[14] The next blockbuster film licensed from Marvel Studios was Spider-Man by Columbia Pictures, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. The film was released on May 3, 2002, grossing $403,706,375 in the United States and Canada and $821,708,551 worldwide.[15]
- ^ Mangel, Andy (December 1990). "Reel Marvel". In Jim Salicrup (ed.). Marvel Age. Marvel Comics. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
- ^ a b Hass, Nancy (August 11, 1996). "Marvel sets up division to put its own characters into movies". The New York Times.
- ^ Keppel, Bruce (November 21, 1986). "Cadence Selling Comic-Book, Animation Unit : New World Pictures to Acquire Marvel". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ Hartlaub, Peter (April 28, 2002). "Cool comic-book films: Golden age on silver screen for Marvel heroes". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "Marvel Entertainment and Avi Arad to Develop Media Projects". The Free Library.com. Farlex, Inc. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (November 8, 1988). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Marvel Comic Book Unit Being Sold for $82.5 million". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "John Semper on "Spider-Man": 10th Anniversary Interview". Marvel Animation Age. toonzone.net. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
- ^ Cawley, John. "Marvel Films Animation 1993–1997". Home of John Cawley. John Cawley. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
- ^ "Toy Biz, Inc. Prospectus". NYSE.com. New York Stock Exchange. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ "Blade (1998)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Fortunewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "X-Men (2000)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
- ^ Levine, Robert (June 27, 2004). "Does Whatever a Spider (and a C.E.O.) Can". The New York Times.
- ^ Massari, Paul (December 2, 2001). "Marvel's superheroes fight their way back from comic disaster". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Spider-Man (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2008.