September 2009

Summer Movies in Review

As the weather cools, it’s time to look back and see how we did on our Summer Movie predictions. We’re all about the money and 2009 was the biggest summer in Hollywood history. Movies are an international obsession so we prefer to look at international box office instead of merely the domestic totals. The reason… international box office now accounts for about 60% of theatrical revenue and is crucial in determining a film’s profitability. Angels and Demons is a great example, having had so-so business domestically but cleaning up in the foreign markets.

Leading the box office charge was Harry Potter. No real surprise there as most Potter films are at or near the top of the standings each year. The big surprise was the success of Ice Age 3 which nabbed the second place spot ahead of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Sorry Michael Bay! The cute characters in Ice Age 3 earned more than $869 million in ticket sales and became the most popular animated film ever abroad.

Angels and Demons came in fourth and in another surprise, The Hangover was the number five movie of the summer as well as being the third-biggest R-rated movie ever made. Nobody saw that coming. There were still plenty of flops. Land of the Lost, Year One, Public Enemies, Funny People and Bruno were all disappointments. However, the numbers for the last two are solid enough for the comedy genre.

Here are the top ten movies of the summer, and by comparison, what we thought would top the charts back in May:

1. Harry Potter ($925 million)
2. Ice Age 3 ($869 million)
3. Transformers 2 ($831 million)
4. Angels and Demons ($484 million)
5. The Hangover ($453 million)
6. Up ($416 million)
7. Night at the Museum 2 ($404 million)
8. Star Trek ($384 million)
9. Terminator: Salvation ($371 million)
10. Wolverine ($363 million)

Our predictions:

1. Harry Potter ($900 million)
2. Transformers 2 ($750 million)
3. Ice Age 3 ($600 million)
4. Star Trek ($500 million)
5. Night at the Museum 2 ($500 million)
6. Angels and Demons ($450 million)
7. Wolverine ($400 million)
8. Terminator: Salvation ($300 million)
9. Up ($300 million)
10. Public Enemies ($250 million)

How did we do? We correctly guessed the top film of summer and went 9 out of 10 overall, missing only on The Hangover. Who knew? Not bad for the unpredictable world of entertainment.

The Mouse That Roared

The news that Disney is buying Marvel for $4 billion has taken the entertainment world by storm. Although the deal itself came out of nowhere, it certainly makes sense. Each company possesses a wealth of content (70 years of characters and stories) and more importantly, licensing opportunities. As DVD sales sink, Hollywood has been scrambling for new sources of revenue. This just might be the shot in the arm Disney needs.

While Disney has traditionally been known for its wholesome family creations, the purchase of Marvel adds an edgier, more violent element. By marrying Spiderman, X-Men and the Incredible Hulk with Mickey Mouse, Wall-E and High School Musical, the combined company will be able to exploit a universe of characters across everything from t-shirts and product tie-ins to movies and theme parks.

While merging the Marvel superheroes into Disney’s fairy-tale cast of characters may seem like a storytelling leap, the entertainment giant has pulled off the feat before. Through the years, Disney has acquired properties (the Muppets, Winnie the Pooh), created shows, rides and attractions with third parties (Star Wars, Indiana Jones) and incorporated

The big winners in this merger are movie theaters and boys. At a time when original plot ideas are difficult to come by, this acquisition could mean a surplus of scripts based solely on the team-ups, battles and other crossovers between the Disney and Marvel worlds. The box office numbers speak for themselves… of the 25 highest-grossing films of all time, four are recent Marvel adaptations.

This move will also help Disney broaden its appeal to boys. Mickey Mouse and other classic Disney characters appeal strongly to young children while shows such as Hannah Montana are hit with girls.

The one fly in the ointment is that Marvel’s sale won’t affect any existing licensing details. For the moment, Disney are still blocked from capitalizing on many of Marvel’s most prominent names such as the X-Men and Fantastic Four (movie rights owned by Fox), Spiderman (movie rights owned by Sony) and Iron Man (distribution rights owned by Paramount). Once these deals expire, Disney will be sure to jump in and may well want to take over distribution as well.