IMAX Boss Admits To Being Disappointed By The Poor Quality Of INHUMANS Compared To Marvel Movies
In a surprising turn of events, IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond has weighed in on the critical and commercial response to Marvel's Inhumans and it's clear he's not keen on working with Marvel TV again any time soon.
While those at Marvel Television refuse to address the failure of Inhumans, IMAX's CEO has now weighed in on the disappointing reception the show has received and reveals the company won't be experimenting with other shows like this in future. When it was announced, it very much sounded like IMAX intended on investing a lot of money in TV shows similar to Inhumans that they would then premiere on their screens but the investment they made on this one clearly didn't pay off for them.
The $3.5 million Inhumans made over the week or so it screened in theaters didn't get IMAX's investment back and the negative reviews have been a pretty significant embarrassment. Rich Gelfond calls the show a "misalignment of customer expectations" and makes it clear they won't be going down this route with Marvel again. "Going forward, we intend to take a more conservative approach consistent with the ‘Game of Thrones approach’ to capital investments and content. We will be more conservative when considering whether to invest our own capital; and if so, to what extent."
So far, Marvel and ABC executives have avoided addressing the failings of Inhumans and Marvel TV bosses Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory actually walked away from Deadline without commenting when they were asked about the show last week. Gelfond, meanwhile, is clearly disappointed Marvel TV doesn't match the quality of Marvel Studios movies, something they clearly hoped would be the case.
"Customers expected a production akin to a mega-budget blockbuster movie, rather than pilots for a television show," Gelfond concluded. "Moreover, the fact that this was Marvel IP set the bar at a level you wouldn’t see from other pieces of content or IP because of the reputation and the high production value of Marvel movies." Inhumans couldn't be any further from a Marvel movie and it will be interesting seeing what response, if any, ABC has to the comments. What do you guys think?