Iger: Marvel Is 'Just Getting Started'

[crazy4wdw]

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Disney CEO Bob Iger: Marvel Is 'Just Getting Started'

12:30 PM PDT 5/7/2014 by Graeme McMillan

Of "Guardians of the Galaxy," the exec says, "I'm not going to predict that we've got another "Avengers" on our hands, but that's certainly the goal."

As impressive as the performance of Marvel Studios has been to date, Disney CEO Bob Iger wants you to know that the best is yet to come.

“Marvel is, as far as we're concerned, just getting started,” Iger told investors during a Disney conference call on Tuesday. “The results of [Captain America: The Winter Soldier], though, I think, are very, very telling, because when you look at the film that is approaching almost $700 million in global box office, I think $680 million, and you compare that to Captain America 1, which did under $400 million worldwide and even look at it versus Thor movies, a few of the Iron Man movies, you're looking at a film that has actually done substantially better than a lot of the Marvel films that we put out.”

Iger said that Marvel’s success with movies released in May includes “the two biggest domestic openings of all time,” adding that the studio “will continue this tradition with Avengers: Age of Ultron next year and Captain America 3 in 2016.”

He pointed out that “it’s clear that momentum is building” for the Avengers movies, and said that Guardians of the Galaxy — a film that has “strong franchise potential,” he said at one point — could be just as big. “I'm not going to predict that we've got another Avengers on our hands, but that's certainly the goal,” he said.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is scheduled for release May 3, 2015. Guardians of the Galaxy is scheduled for release August 1, 2014.

 

[rteetz]

I hope Iger is right since Disney has bought marvel they have only done good things. I'm a big fan of the avengers and I'm really interested in seeing guardians of the galaxy.

 

[Reddog1134]

I think GotG will do well, but will be considered (somewhat) a failure because it won't bring in the numbers of some of the other Marvel films. It just doesn't have the character recognition.

 

[diamondpixienc]

I think GotG will do well, but will be considered (somewhat) a failure because it won't bring in the numbers of some of the other Marvel films. It just doesn't have the character recognition.

ITA with this but i'm also hoping it will capture this new generation of little kids. At least our current tweens and 20 somethings had us to help introduce them to Marvel, The Avengers and "super heroes" in general. My DH and I couldn't wait to whip out the VHS tapes of Star Wars and the Superman movies from the 80's when our first kid was born. Not to mention the X-Men cartoons from the 90's that we had recorded on our own. Awesome!

 

[jeffbear]

Since Marvel Studios pulled off the big win with the Avengers movie, it's been a real breakneck joyride over there. I don't think they've had a single miss since they became a full function studio with Kevin Feige in charge of story development to keep every project tracking with the others and the canon. Marvel could be a real force in the blockbuster business for years to come.

Hard to believe based on how tenuous the whole thing was when they put together the first Ironman movie. If you're interested in some conversation on that topic, I recommend a couple of recent editions of the Nerdist Podcast with Chris Hardwick. He interviewed Ironman 1 director Jon Favreau last week and Kevin Feige back around the first of the year. It's interesting stuff.

 

[MouseGear42]

Marvel has been unstoppable lately, and it’s because they can afford to take chances. Captain America was more political thriller than comic book movie, and it paid off big time. Guardians of the Galaxy looks like it could out-Star Wars the new Star Wars flicks, and I can’t wait! Feige is doing great things, hopefully he keeps it up.

 

[jeffbear]

Marvel has been unstoppable lately, and it’s because they can afford to take chances.

Yeah ... NOW they can, but it was a LOT more iffy when they decided to kick off this new era with Ironman featuring a star with a sketchy background and an unproven director. Ironman was criticized at the time as a pretty lightweight character to use as the foundation of the launch of an entire studio, but the big picture scheme was obviously to lead into Avengers eventually. I think they knew that would sell, but had to do some individual stories (Cap 1, Thor, Ironman) to set it up.

Really remarkable stuff given the budgets and the risk involved, but once Avengers blew up they were in a position to take as many risks as they wanted. And I love that they've managed to keep some humor and out and out silliness close to the front of all these films. Marvel's books were always more madcap and fun than DC's more "serious" stuff.