Tagged With: Marvel

Marvel Ent. initiated financial guidance for 2007 and revised its financial guidance for 2006. The financial guidance was provided in conjunction with the reporting of operating results for the third quarter and nine-month periods ended Sept. 30, 2006.

For Q3 2006, Marvel reported net income of $13.2 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, net of a $0.7 million charge for FAS 123R share-based payments. This compares to net income of $23.4 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in the year-ago third quarter period, which did not include any stock option expense.

At Comic-Con, the Oscars of the comicbook industry the Will Eisner Aewards were handed out. BUFFY creator Joss Whedon took home one of the top prizes for his work on ASTONISHING X-MEN in the Best Continuing Series award.

The full list of winners include:

Best Short StoryTEENAGE SIDEKICK, by Paul Pope, in SOLO #3 (DC)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)SOLO #5, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)

Best Serialized Story

At San Diego Comic Con in Booth #719, Marvel Comics and Planetwide Games will unveil new content for Planetwide Games original Comic Book Creator interactive entertainment software. Under the terms of the agreement between the two companies, Planetwide Games has the right to create and publish versions of the interactive software and content booster packs for Comic Book Creator based on classic Marvel s characters such as the X-Men, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, The Punisher, Captain America, Thor, The Avengers, and Dr. Octopus to name a few.

In its fourth quarter report, Marvel Ent. Inc. revealed that it has regained the film rights to the Incredible Hulk character and is very aggressively developing a sequel to the HULK feature film. Marvel Studios head Avi Arad said in the Earnings Conference Call that Universal would still distribute the sequel.

Hasbro Inc. and Marvel Ent. Inc. announced a license under which Marvel has granted Hasbro toy and game rights to its superhero universe that includes franchises such as SPIDER-MAN, FANTASTIC FOUR, X-MEN and CAPTAIN AMERICA. Through the agreement, Hasbro has obtained the rights to develop products based on Marvel's globally-known universe of more than 5,000 characters in a wide range of toy and game categories including action figures, role play and preschool toys, board games and puzzles.

Michael Helfant joins Marvel Ent. Inc. as president/coo of the company's Marvel Studios division based in Beverly Hills.

Konami Digital Ent. Inc. announced a multi-year agreement with Marvel Enterprises Inc. and Upper Deck Ent. that gives Konami exclusive worldwide interactive rights to develop games for current and next-generation videogame systems based on Upper Decks best-selling Marvel Trading Card Game. This is the latest addition to Konamis collection of interactive trading card based properties, which also includes the tremendously successful YU-GI-OH! series.

Moonscoop has signed a far-reaching deal with Cartoon Network at MIP-TV 2005. The broadcaster is to co-produce Moonscoops action comedy series FANTASTIC FOUR based on the classic Marvel characters and has acquired the worldwide broadcast rights outside the U.S. French commercial broadcaster M6 has also picked up the show which is currently in production.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that Stan Lee is entitled to 10% of the profits Marvel has received since Nov. 1998 from studios for the right to produce and distribute motion pictures and television productions based on Marvel's characters, and from movie-based toys manufactured and sold by Marvel itself.

New Line Cinema and Marvel Studios have signed Nick Cassavetes (THE NOTEBOOK, JOHN Q) to direct the highly-anticipated big screen adaptation of IRON MAN. The film is scheduled to be a 2006 tentpole release. The project, which is being produced by Marvel Studios' ceo Avi Arad and Angry Films' Don Murphy, is based on a script by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and David Hayter. The studios will begin casting immediately.