Disney to buy Marvel Comics for $4B

[CheeseFrog]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090831/..._entertainment

LOS ANGELES – The Walt Disney Co. said Monday it is buying Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing such characters as Iron Man and Spider-Man into the family of Mickey Mouse and WALL-E.

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters. Many of them, including the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, were co-created by the comic book legend Stan Lee.

Analyst David Joyce of Miller Tabak & Co. said the acquisition will help Disney appeal to young men who have flocked to theaters to see Marvel's superhero fare in recent years. That contrasts with Disney's recent successes among young women with such fare as "Hannah Montana" and the Jonas Brothers.

"It helps Disney add exposure to a young male demographic it had sort of lost some balance with," Joyce said, noting the $4 billion offer was at "full price."

Disney said Marvel shareholders will receive $30 per share in cash, plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share they own. That values each Marvel share at $50 based on Friday's closing stock prices.

Marvel shares jumped $10.17, or 26 percent, to $48.82 shortly after the market opened. Disney shares fell 47 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $26.37.

Disney said the boards of both companies have approved the transaction, but it will require an antitrust review and the approval of Marvel shareholders.

Disney last made a big purchase in 2006 when it acquired Pixar Animation Studios Inc., the creator of the "Toy Story" franchise, for $7.4 billion in stock.

Disney CEO Robert Iger said the latest acquisition combines Marvel's "strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters" with Disney's "unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties" and ability to maximize value across multiple platforms and territories.

Marvel earned a net profit of $206 million last fiscal year, up 47 percent from a year earlier, on revenue of $676 million, as it took movie production in house instead of just cutting licensing deals.

[Attawlguell]

If they have enough power to put Disney characters in every single school in an entire country then just imagine how much power Marvel has DisneyMarvel=Dominant Cartoon Industry

,noggin

[AstenceBync]

Dont forget that Disney owns movie studios like Mirimax. I dont think we are going to see things like traditional animated fare with Marvel characters or anything like that. I think we can actually just expect more of the same for the future honestly. The license agreements for things like the Iron Man movies and Avengers movies are things that will last years so no worries on any of those fronts.

[ScreamoonW]

Forgot to add, I usually get mine half price in the sales, but I never buy enough, and always need more not that I have countless freinds, but I am a teacher, and get a lot from children across the school, and I always like to send a card back if a child has taken the time to write and give me a card.
Have a stab this one