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Disney shows comic belief with Marvel buy-up
Chris Laker1 Sep 2009
Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk are to be housed with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck under a deal which sees Disney acquire the rights to some of the world's best known superheros.
The Walt Disney Company announced today that it was buying Marvel Entertainment in a stock and cash deal worth four billion dollars (£2.5 billion).
As a result, Disney will have control of 5,000 of the comic giant's best-selling and most marketable characters, including The Fantastic Four and Captain America.
Both boards approved the deal, but the move requires the green light from an anti-trust review and a Marvel shareholders vote before it can be completed.
The buy-out by Disney follows a succession of comic hero hits at the cinema in recent years, a trend the entertainment giant will hope to see continue.
News of the deal saw investors push shares in Marvel to 48.82 dollars - an increase of 25% - today. Disney shares slipped by 1.8%, to 26.37 dollars.
Reader views (3)
From my trawls around the web this has made many comic fans very uncomfortable, and I can see why. It was only 5 years ago that Disney was on the verge of bankruptcy due to poor management, then came Steve Jobs and Pixar and salvaged them, but it's not a foregone conclusion that it won't happen again. Anyone have any idea as to the point that Mr Conway was attempting to make?
- Bob, Cheam, 02/09/2009 10:26
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my name is david b conway ./ and i think the reason why disney whats to buy out marvel is only because off cartoon network does not right any more off super heros just from the dcau and the narvel cartoons any more / and just to remeber disney aready owns fox just when they had jetix , maybe the question for disney they do,nt need jetix just when they can from disney can buy them again just along with power rangers just under there name instead / love david b conway
- David B Conway, massuittes in greenfield, 02/09/2009 05:50
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Can you imagine Pixar does X-Men.... Oh yes they tried that in the Incredibles. Not quite the same is it????
- Graham, Reading, England, 01/09/2009 20:46
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