Lewis Glazebrook is a Senior Features writer for Screen Rant. Like the Incredible Hulk, Universal Studios owns the rights to the character Namor and entered into a special arrangement with Disney for the character to feature in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. That may not seem like a big deal, but for investors, it sure would be. What makes Marvel movies so special is that they are able to appeal to a wide range of people. Could this change? })(); The Security and Exchange Commission filing, Mickeys Premium Ice Cream Bar Crocs and Scented Loungefly Arrive at Walt Disney World, Mickey Mouse: The Main Attraction Enchanted Tiki Room Ears Arrive At Walt Disney World. A film starring Hulk was first floated in 1990, with Universal having bought the movie rights. According to evidence shared on Reddit by u/vidoardes, Disney is in a position to regain distribution rights to the Hulk in 2023. As The Incredible Hulk was released in 2008, this would mean that Marvel could use Hulk again from 2023 onwards. Universal owns distribution rights, which means they have the right of "first refusal" to any Hulk film. So Universal has no claim at all to the. The Incredible Hulk - Owned By Universal. This contract has the potential to be extended every four years by Universal. Marvel confirmed rights involving Hulk and Namor are still with Universal, meaning the Disney-owned characters will probably never get solo movies. In 2009, Disney paid $4 billion for Marvel, and the agreement is a long-term one, as long as Universal keeps paying Disney. It really all comes down to contracts. It's the reason there is only one stand-alone Hulk film. Universal currently owns distribution rights to any movie starring Hulk or Namor in the leading role, meaning they receive a significant share of the profits. They are the lowest earners in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Universal agreed to share the character with the main universe in MCU, it was still not allowed for Disney and Marvel to produce any solo movie on him. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Since 2008, Marvel Studios has also acquired the rights to Ghost Rider, Blade, Daredevil, and a slew of others. This is also why the Hulk only appears in the various Marvel Studios movies as a supporting character, such as in The Avengers films or Thor: Ragnarok. Disney paid $4 billion in 2009 for Marvel Entertainment, making it the largest acquisition in history. It is impossible for Universal to make a standalone for the Hulk as opposed to a Marvel film because the studio owns the rights to the character. And this is true of both in the 1960s and the 2000s. At this time, it's believed that Marvel and Disney don't want to invest between $150-200 million in a solo superhero movie that isn't going to make a very large return like their other recent releases. Which Studios Own the Rights to Marvel's Characters? Post-Homecoming, anything's possible. Moreover, Marvel has made a deal with Sony that allows them Spider-Man to exist in the MCU. HULK: Marvel Studios May Finally Regain The Jade Giant's Theatrical Rights From Universal In 2023 The last time the MCU's Jade Giant starred in his own movie was 2008's The Incredible Hulk,. window.mc4wp.listeners.push( So, naturally, the question becomes, will the man they call Kulk'ulk'an get a solo film? Universal currently holds the rights to several Marvel characters, including the Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Incredible Hulk. However, it is clear that Universal still holds the rights to several important Marvel characters. Beyond opening the doors to Hulk taking on a bigger role, Marvel Studios may finally be able to give Namor his own solo movie. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Spider-Man is one of the Marvel Villains on hand, so dont miss out on the chance to meet him. It's clear that Disney/Marvel do not have a problem distributing their superhero adventures through another studio, though that is not their top choice. Namor can be used in the same manner as the Hulk in the MCU, namely as part of an ensemble, antagonistic role, or cameo. Played by Tenoch Huerta, this interpretation is a massive hit with fans, both diehards and those unfamiliar with Namor. Children 40-48 inches (102-122 cm) must be . The Hulk franchise even introduced the "shared universe" concept, with Thor and Daredevil showing up in those shows. About | The past box office for these films does not justify that as a solid business plan. When the Mouse bought Marvel, Disney and Universal went to war in the courts in order to free up not just film distribution rights but Marvel characters appearing in Universal's Orlando theme park. Its the reason there is only one stand-alone Hulk film. This, therefore, means that the futures of both characters still rest on Universal. RELATED:MODOK Trends with Zack Snyder's 'Rebel Moon'. The Reddit User then looked at the original Paramount deal which states that the deal is only good for 15 years after each picture. Disney will only own Marvels parks if it acquires the rights to them from Universal. Throughout the day, various Spider-Man and Marvel merchandise will be available for purchase. Disney intends to regain distribution rights to the character within 15 years, according to the 15-year period. This took a very meandering route to Ang Lee's Hulk in 2003, a film whose mixed reaction led to a muted sequel development period that ultimately saw the rights revert to Marvel in 2006, just as the studio was setting up the MCU. The most likely answer is that Universal is the exclusive licensee of the Marvel brand. He works better when surrounded by a team, with the character not having to shoulder a whole movie on his own. Disney and Marvel made Iron Man 2 with Paramount distributing the movie. Despite the success of the Phase 4 and 5 releases, there are still plenty of opportunities for Marvel Studios to release movies in Phase 6 and beyond. Yet, now that Bob Iger is back in charge of Disney, maybe he can complete his Marvel Comics collection and work out a new deal. Both Namor and the Incredible Hulk are characters Disney owns the rights to use in stories, films or television. Now Lewis spends his time watching endless amounts of film and TV, gaming, and reading, all to further his work as a Screen Rant Features Writer as he tries to widen his knowledge to write about all aspects of film and TV. VeryAware document.write( new Date().getFullYear() );
This makes it so that Namor can only be used in the MCU similar to how Hulk has been since 2008, something that may come as a disappointment to many. That's still Universal . And 2003's Hulk only made $245 million. Disney has the opportunity to incorporate more movie-based themes into its theme parks. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and of course - Netflix and chill! Marvel theme park rights are the exclusive rights to use Marvel intellectual property at an amusement park or other theme park setting. These movies are full of action, adventure, comedy, and drama, and they always leave audiences wanting more. This was evident in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with Namor being used as the villain of that film. Copyright | This Marvel attraction is only at Universal Orlando, so you dont have to be a fan of the movies to enjoy it. The Incredible Hulk barely improved on that half a decade later, making $263M in a year when Iron Man brought in $585M and The Dark Knight topped $1B (this was when hitting that mark was a major achievement). 7 Fantastic Animes You Need to be Watching Right Now. The Hulk might be coming home as rumors are spreading that claim Marvel now completely owns the rights to the big, green and angry hero, which could potentially lead to a new series of standalone films for the Hulk. Don't hold your breath. Now, Disney may finally be able to offer fans what they have been waiting for, perhaps explaining the silence surrounding the widely-reportedWorld War Hulkmovie. Marvel Studios has finally explained its Hulk movie deal with Universal Pictures and how it affects the character's role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The second reason is that Hulk has proven to be quite popular in Marvel's The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. ", The aforementioned SEC deal with Paramount notes its distribution agreement "for an initial period of 15 years commencing on the initial Theatrical Exhibition of such Picture:", "6. This isn't the main reason we haven't heard an announcement on Planet Hulk or any other Hulk movie, though. A sale that adds $13 to each of those puts roughly an extra $6.5 million in his pocket! The movie rights of Hulk have always been dynamic unlike the character rights of the other superheroes. In light of this, they believed Universal was phoned in on the films marketing because the studio did not invest in the film. The outlet added a comment from Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore who revealed the character had to be "borrowed" for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, just like the Hulk has been. Terms Of Service | I've been working in the online publishing industry for over 10 years and have a passion for creating engaging, entertaining content. This is why the one truly successful outing for Hulk is the TV series, which by its nature focused on Banner's conflict and internal drama - things that are great for episodic TV but not really a big blockbuster movie. For those who don't know, the film rights to everyone's favorite big, green, rage monster are complicated. Rumors have previously spread to suggest Disney may have regained the rights but have yet to be supported by anything definitive. Despite a brief jaunt in Mathematics at Durham University, film writing was always his calling. The Greater World Wrestling organization will soon release a new Hulk series entitled World War Hulk.. All Rights Reserved. The rights to any film starring Hulk or Namor in a leading role are currently owned by Universal. Marvel Studios and Universal Pictures have had a long and complicated relationship. Distribution Term: Paramount shall have the right to exercise its Paramount Distribution Rights with respect to each Picture for an initial period of 15 years commencing on the initial Theatrical Exhibition of such Picture (the Initial Distribution Term). Hulk in particular is a character that has suffered a bit because Universal owns the movie rights. KEEP READING:She-Hulk Fan Proves Tatiana Maslany Looks Just Like the MCU Superhero, Source: The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This was fine in the freewheeling 2000s when Marvel stood as its own thing, but now under Disney creates a conflict - they would be loaning out an IP so another company can make money off it. An SEC filing from 2006 notes Universal Studios' agreement to distributeThe Incredible Hulkunder the same terms as a similar deal with Paramount: "Universal Studios has agreed to distribute Marvels film The Incredible Hulk and sequels on essentially the same terms as those on which Paramount has agreed to distribute the other films financed and produced under the film facility. There appears to . There hasnt been a Hulk solo movie since 2008, which is because the film rights are tied up with Universal Pictures. Im Joel Watson and Im a content manager at veryaware.com, an entertainment website. While the Hulk has existed in live-action since the late 1970s, Namor only recently made his debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. As his antagonistic nature was established in Wakanda Forever, Namor will likely be used in this capacity again. The Hulk. Thiswould ultimately be a very small part of any deal, but outside of combining Disney+ and Hulu,a potential sale - the streamer is valued between$19.8 billion and $27.5 billion - has the potential to add as much $13 to stock prices. This may come as a disappointment to many, who wish for a Namor solo film after his fantastic debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Marvel Universe is home to some of the most iconic characters in pop culture. Forbes has a new report explaining the movie rights shared between the two studios, and what it means for a standalone sequel with Hulk at the center. The deal between Universal and Disney is iron clad; however, it may have a time limit. Is the Disney+ MCU Cutting Into Marvel Studios' Box Office Performance? Learn More. He's covered a wide range of movies and TV shows - from digging out obscure MCU Easter eggs to diving deep into deeper meanings of arthouse fare - and has covered a litany of set visits, junkets and film festivals. While few details are on-the-record, the relationship between Universal and Disney is frosty at best. The Marvel Cinematic Universe's relationship with the Incredible Hulk has been relatively awkward since the film was released in 2008. This is similar to how Namor can be used in the future. Do you think we'll eventually see solo Hulk and Namor movies? Also, after She-Hulk introduced Skaar, Hulk's son, and began planting seeds of a Hulk story many have longed to see, it is no secret that solo films for both characters would be welcome in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Many Reasons Why Superman Never Gives Up. After the events of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and the hints at Bruce Banner's MCU story, there were some rumors that Marvel Studios could make a solo Hulk movie after 2023. After being recast as Mark Ruffalo (a choice unrelated to rights issues - it was the result of Norton not wanting to return), Hulk's appeared in The Avengers, Iron Man 3's post-credits scene, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok and will return in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. Universal and Marvel reached an agreement in 2008 for the former to distributeThe Incredible Hulkwhich starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner before he was recast with Mark Ruffalo forThe Avengers. In addition to Sony still having the film rights to Spider-Man-related characters, Universal Pictures continues to hold the distribution rights to solo movies about The Hulk and Namor the. I'm Joel Watson and I'm a content manager at veryaware.com, an entertainment website. Its speculated that either storyline would cost over $200 million. Iger, for example, is thought to own 500,000 Disney shares. While Disney and Marvel hold rights to develop movies starring The Hulk, Universal and Marvel reached an agreement in June 2008 to distribute The Incredible Hulk.. Daredevil (and by extension the entire Netflix Defenders franchise) exists only because Marvel wasn't able to wrangle Galactus and the Silver Surfer back from Fox, and just this summer we got Sony/Marvel co-production Spider-Man: Homecoming where the web-slinger joined the franchise while being made by a different company. The last we heard on the matter came from Mark Ruffalo, who pointed the finger squarely at Universal not playing nice with Marvel. The agreement has the potential to stay in effect (aka good faith) or for an indefinite period of time, unless Universal decides to close the Marvel Universe area, stops making payments for use of the property, or Marvel opts out of the contract if it believes Universal is mismanaging its rights. For removal of copyrighted images, trademarks, or other issues, Contact Us. As is evident with Marvel Studios' deal with Sony, there are ways the two studios could come together and work out a mutually beneficial deal for Marvel Studios to release solo films for the characters. It has over 6,000 characters and is one of the worlds most valuable comic book franchises. Spider-Man remains a huge part of the MCU and Namor will appear in the upcoming film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Orlando Resort, and Universal Studios Japan all have amazing Marvel rides that are sure to thrill and excite any fan of the superhero franchise. The answer, it seems, dates back about 13 years to the start of the Disney and Marvel Studios relationship. Many fans have been wondering if this is true, and what is going on with the rights between Universal and Marvel. Universal Pictures are co-owners of the unfriendly green giant, which is why there hasn't been a solo Hulk movie since 2008's The Incredible Hulk and there's unlikely to be one in the MCU's future.