Marvel gives update to their film slate

[GreenScar]

In Marvel's second quarter earnings report they talked a little about their movies. Interesting to note that the only movie that currently has a distribution deal is Iron Man 2 with Paramount leaving other studios in the running for the rest of their slate.

August 8, 2008 - Some morsels of movie news were peppered throughout Marvel Entertainment's Q2 earnings conference call held earlier this week. Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel chatted about the studio's upcoming film slate -- which includes Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers and The First Avenger: Captain America -- and those of its partners, such as Sony's Spider-Man 4.

During the conference call -- a full transcript of which is available here -- Maisel was asked about whether Spider-Man 4, which Sony is eyeing for a May 2011 release, might conflict with Marvel's planned May 6, 2011 release date for Captain America.

Maisel replied that "we always have a lot of options now that we control green light and our destiny with these films. Obviously we can't respond to hypotheticals and what we would do with various either competitive moves or partner moves, like Sony with Spider-Man. So at this point, I'd just have to say once a move like that happens, we'll obviously let our response be made publicly but it wouldn't be constructive to respond to a hypothetical."

In other words, time will tell who will blink first in any potential game of release date chicken between Marvel and Sony.

Marvel Entertainment Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Kenneth West disclosed that "during this quarter, we did receive the $5 million advance [from Sony] associated with Spider-Man 4. That keeps Sony in line with actually releasing this picture within the normal time period."

Maisel was also asked whether Paramount Pictures was set to distribute all of Marvel's forthcoming productions or if the distributors could be split, as they were between Iron Man (Paramount) and The Incredible Hulk (Universal). "The only film that is a certainty at this point for the Paramount distribution is Iron Man 2," Maisel said.

Since Marvel Studios has a relationship with every other major studio save for Warner Bros. (home of DC Comics movies), that opens the door for Sony, Universal, 20th Century Fox or Lionsgate to possibly release one or all of the other three upcoming films on Marvel's slate (Captain America, The Avengers, and Thor).