As at May 19, Avengers: Endgame had earned US$2.615 billion ($3.6 billion) worldwide — just US$173 million less than Avatar’s record. In its obituary of Stan Lee, the creator of the Marvel Comic Book Universe, the New York Times said Marvel movies had grossed US$24 billion as at April 2018.
Well, that is why Walt Disney Co paid US$4.24 billion for Marvel Entertainment back in 2009.
They contribute to the studio entertainment segment of Disney’s operations, and globally, the Marvel characters and Star Wars sequels and spin-offs are the most visible part of that segment. To be sure, there is more to the segment than just the Marvel and Star Wars universes. (Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 and the rights to produce Star Wars movies and other spin-offs associated with the franchise.) In addition, there are cross-selling opportunities.
Meanwhile, Deloitte predicts that growth for global entertainment sector is in VR and video streaming, with Netflix being the main entertainment disruptor. But now, Netflix is being disrupted by Disney+ and has started to build its own content.
Find out more in this week's issue of The Edge Singapore (Issue 884, week of June 3) which is on sale now at newsstands. Subscribers can log in here to read the story or click here to subscribe.
