marvel

519 Words2 Pages

Marvel Entertainment's success rests on the strength (and marketability) of its characters. The firm lends its more than 5,000 characters (which include Iron Man, Spider-Man, and X-Men) to publishing, licensing, and film production operations. Through Marvel Worldwide, the company is the #1 comic book publisher with a 40% market share. Marvel earns toy licensing revenues through a deal with Hasbro. Other licensing fees come from character use in consumer products such as clothing and video games. Marvel-produced movies include The Avengers, Thor, and two Iron Man films. Media giant The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel at the tail end of 2009 in a deal worth more than $4 billion.Disney acquired Marvel to gain its treasure chest of characters, which the studio can develop through its global network of media and entertainment holdings in content and licensing, including theme parks, television, film, and publishing activities. Marvel is particularly valuable for its appeal with teen boys, as Disney had proven far more successful with girl audiences. But perhaps the single most signi...

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