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Disney said today that it would be purchasing Marvel Entertainment. The deal will cost Disney $4 billion in cash and stock. Once the deal is made, Disney will get licensing and ownership rights to the entire Marvel character library; which includes over 5,000 characters in total.

The company is hoping to reach the entire teen/young adult demographic by reaching young males also. After seeing such a boom with the success of Hannah Montana as well as the Jonas Brothers, Disney wants to reach young males also.

The deal is all but done. The boards of both companies have already agreed to the deal and are now just waiting on an antitrust review as well as the approval of Marvel shareholders. According to the deal, Marvel shareholders will be receiving $30 per share as well as 0.745 Disney shares for every share of Marvel they own.

I have to say, it is a bit odd to think that Spiderman and the X-Men would be wondering around Disney World with Mickey Mouse and Sleeping Beauty, but if that’s what Disney thinks will help their bottom line, then I suppose that the company is doing the right thing. For that reason, I can’t see a reason why either board would want to decline the offer. It really is in the best interests of Marvel to go with Disney; after all, this is the best way for the brand to expand. Marvel (to my knowledge) didn’t have a theme park where fans could go “visit” their favorite characters while DC comic characters can sometimes be seen wondering around Six Flags theme parks. Some of Six Flags’ most popular rides are named after DC comic characters. On a recent trip to Six Flags in St. Louis, the lines were fairly short for rides like Thunder Rapids, but the lines for “The Batman” and “Mr. Freeze” were ridiculous.

Jeremy

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