The investor community is picking Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) as a stock to BUY based off the recent Avengers trailer and recent success of Captain America and Thor this past summer. There not so crazy about Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) thanks in part to who they put it, "failed to establish a cinematic foothold for one of its own lesser heroes in June, Green Lantern. However, they do offer some suggestions as to how TWX can be just as successful as Marvel.
Source: The Motley Fool
Look In-house
My suggestion? Look to Bruce Timm, the creative genius behind DC's animated epics. His latest -- Green Lantern: Emerald Knights -- has taken in roughly $2.9 million in DVD sales, according to heNumbers.com. Count me among the buyers. My 6-year-old son and I rented Emerald Knights on iTunes because I thought the live-action version might be too scary for him.
As a series, DC's animated flicks have grossed more than $73 million since 2007. We don't know how those sales have fed profits, but using animation and voice-over narration is far cheaper than hiring actors, actresses, production trucks, makeup artists, visual-effects geniuses, and the like. DVD and digital distribution also cost less. It's a formula that, judging by DC's aggressive production schedule, seems to work really well.
Warner's animated group has also won over fans through television-distributed hits such as Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited. Want to kick-start DC's lesser franchises, Mr. Johns? All the elements for a Justice League film -- a flick comparable with that of next May's The Avengers -- is present in two seasons' worth of Justice League Unlimited stories.
The Marvel Formula
At the very least, I think JLU has something that Green Lantern didn't and that every one of Marvel's major live-action hits had: a strong writer-director team with a specific vision for what to put on the screen. GL had four writers. Four. No wonder this otherwise-promising story got garbled on screen.
The Avengers? It has Whedon, a writer with top-notch credentials when it comes to scripting movies, TV, and, yes, even comic books. That's why I'll be unsurprised if Disney wins big when the film reaches theaters next May. Take notes, Time Warner. The formula for success is right in front of you.
This article was written by Tim Beyers of Motley Fool.com, someone who's a Time Warner shareholder. I must say this was a very well written argument and I agree with his ideas about how Warner Bros. can become just as successful as Disney/Marvel.
One things for sure, the world of CBM's is no longer a topic of hot discussions only amongst the small corner of the population known as fanboys. It's become an industry of significant financial interest and it has a pretty significant effect on the financial industry as a whole.
Do you agree with these comments and the proposal for DC's success? Think Bruce Timm is the man for the job? Sound off below in the comment section and be sure to vote!
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