Marvel bringing superheros to live arena shows

[Rumors Rocks]

http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2013/03/15/marvel-pacts-for-superhero-arena.html

Capitalizing on the popularity of its superheroes at the multiplex, Marvel Entertainment has agreed with Feld Entertainment to bring its characters and stories to a whole new arena—literally. The two companies will collaborate on live-action arena “spectactulars” featuring Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Avengers and the X-Men, who unite to defend the Earth against the most evil villains in the Marvel Universe.

"We are excited to collaborate with Feld Entertainment to bring millions of our Marvel fans around the world a new and authentic way to engage with their favorite characters and villains," said Marvel chief creative officer Joe Quesada in a statement. "This new live-action production will bring the greatest Marvel superheroes from the movie screen and pages of our comic books into a spectacular live tour.”

Feld has worked with Marvel’s parent company the Walt Disney Company for 33 years producing shows like “Disney on Ice” and “Disney Live!” The family-owned and -operated business also puts on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus and drew 30 million attendees to its shows last year.

In 2012, “The Avengers” grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide, and “The Amazing Spider-Man” made half that. This year, Iron Man ($1.2 billion in global ticket sales), Thor ($449.3 million) and Wolverine ($373.1 million) will all return to the big screen, and “Captain America” ($368.6 million) and “X-Men” ($1.5 billion) sequels are in the works for 2014.
Under its multiyear deal with Marvel, Feld will produce live touring events in the United States and around the world. An 85-city North American tour will launch in July 2014 before heading across the globe. Expect state-of-the-art special effects, pyrotechnics, aerial displays, martial arts and more.

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