Investing in Marvel's Future.

[Advanced Dark]

Cap I would imagine 2010.

 

[Advanced Dark]

<H2>Marvel to Report Q3 Results and Host Webcast Monday, November 6TH AT 9:00 a.m. EST

Business Wire - October 10, 2006 13:00
NEW YORK, Oct 10, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:MVL), a global character-based entertainment and licensing company, will release financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006 prior to the market's opening on Monday, November 6th. Marvel will then host a webcast at 9:00 a.m. EST that day to provide an overview of its financial results.
WEBCAST / REPLAY URL: www.marvel.com/webcasts or at www.earnings.com. An archived version of the webcast will be available for 30 days.

</H2>
Head's up. First real earnings annoucement since marvel studios has been in places with all these movies on the slate and in production.

 

[Advanced Dark]

He he he analyst recommendation today at "accumulate" at these levels and off we are to new highs again screaming towards 26. Hell we had a analyst downgrade 2 weeks ago yet that analyst raised their price target.

See you at 30.

 

[Advanced Dark]

Marvel Enterprises "equal weight," target price raised

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 2:11:04 PM ET
Lehman Brothers

NEW YORK, October 18 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Lehman Brothers reiterate their "equal weight" rating on Marvel Enterprises (ticker: MVL). The target price has been raised from $24 to $27.

So in 2 weeks that's 3 analysts raising their price targets from 27-30 range.

 

[Advanced Dark]

Things have settled and are a bit quiet for the past few days waiting for Marvel's earnings on November 6th where they'll annouced their 2007 outlook for the first time.

Here's a great read today from Motley Fool:

http://www.fool.com/news/commentary...7.htm?source=eptyholnk303100&logvisit=y&npu=y

Fool on the Street: Marvel's Super Powers
Here at The Motley Fool, we believe individual investors should have the same access to information that Wall Street has. In that spirit, we've listened in on some investment-bank conferences with major companies and are giving you the rundown. We call this feature "Fool on the Street."

By Anders Bylund (TMFZahrim)
October 27, 2006

Last month, Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL) executives held a presentation at Merrill Lynch's Media and Entertainment Conference, and their comments were quite enlightening. To give you the inside scoop on what these analysts know, I listened in and wrote up my thoughts.

My spider-sense is tingling
If you get nothing else out of this report, you should gain an appreciation for the extremely light business model under which Marvel currently works, and the company's genuine focus on making great stories. The company's portfolio of comic book characters, coupled with an innovative capital structure, leads to a low-risk, high-reward business model that should leave many competitors gamma-radiation-green with envy.

Vice Chairman Peter Cuneo pointed out that this library contains more than 5,000 characters at various stages of audience exposure, and most of those characters have yet to be monetized beyond the occasional comic book.

He outlined the six essential stages to making money from intellectual property, as the company sees it. Marvel took the first three steps long ago, meaning that it owns, controls, and creates content of its own. A stable of creative talent keeps the hungry content beast well-fed, and there are decades of stories to fall back on in cases of severe writer's block.

Marvel is now moving onto the fourth step, which is to produce content. A novel financing structure that places rights to certain characters as collateral to a large credit facility now lets the company make movies on its own terms, with full creative control and no need to please a partnering studio. Production by committee was arguably the downfall of Marvel's biggest bombs, such as Daredevil and Elektra, both coproduced and distributed by News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) 20th Century Fox studio.

What's important, according to Cuneo, is that "Marvel is not using any of its own capital in these production activities. And the fact that we're able to do this, I think, really reflects the tremendous power that our partners and other people see in our brands and our franchises for the future." The Spider-Man franchise is one of the biggest moneymakers in the history of movies, and Sony (NYSE: SNE) subsidiary Columbia Pictures gave director Sam Raimi loose reins in that endeavor.

Now that Marvel itself gets the final say on greenlighting a movie or approving a script, it can take the necessary creative risks, which is exactly how Disney (NYSE: DIS) division Pixar became great to begin with. Stories like Spider-Man and Toy Story cannot be made without a certain appetite for artistic risk, just like American Idol was rejected by every major studio -- some of them twice -- before Fox agreed to let the British originators do their thing in their own controversial way.

The final two steps of Cuneo's ladder will remain the domain of partners like Hasbro (NYSE: HAS), Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), and Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE: LGF), because they are much better at packaging and marketing the final product than Marvel itself is. Marvel got out of the toy business a couple of years ago because it didn't fit its new, lean business model, and both of these final steps are quite capital-intensive.

Look out! Profits!
There's a clear flow inside Marvel explaining how the company makes money. It all starts with an original comic book hero (or villain) and the substantial amount of stories built around that character over the years. Characters like Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and Iron Man have very large and very loyal followings around the world, and a wealth of backstory to draw from. Comic books are also a very predictable business, since the company doesn't accept returns from its retailers -- a sale is a sale, and operating margins hover around 40%.

Comic books, however, are just the start for these heroes. The next logical step is into movies, TV series, and direct-to-DVD productions. Marvel's library of comic-book stories makes it easy to find great ideas to build a script around. Most of these efforts have traditionally been animated, but the success of live-action superhero material over the past five years -- much of it Marvel's to claim -- only encourages more of the same. The outsourced movie franchises are made with other companies' money, leaving Marvel to rake in its share of the profits at little financial risk.

Marvel Studios vice chairman David Maisel explained that in the case of the newly launched Fantastic Four TV series, "Lions Gate recoups their costs in the distribution fee, and then we get 60%-70% of the profits. It's a very attractive model for us, and obviously, we get to keep the project in our library and return on capital is very attractive."

The new credit facility changes that game a little bit, but it's all good. "Economically, Marvel will receive 100% of the profits for the movies," Maisel explained. "There are no equity participants, besides ourselves, in these movies." On top of that, the company receives a 5% producer fee of the total revenues generated by these movies. Licensing and merchandising right also remain in-house. The worst that can happen is that a particular movie bombs out at the box office, and the creditor -- conference host Merrill Lynch -- forgives the debt on that movie's budget in exchange for the rights to that character. A $100 million U.S. box office gross makes a breakeven movie for Marvel, according to Cuneo, and the historical $200 million domestic average and $400 worldwide gross taken in by Marvel's movies will put $117 million or so directly in its net profit coffers.

And after the silver screen, the same story becomes a line of toys, video games, toddler outfits, and lunch boxes, all of which contribute licensing and royalty revenue for Marvel at little or no cost to the company. Maisel said that toy and merchandising revenues for its existing films have totaled between $17 and $80 million per film, and it's all gravy.

In total, Maisel drew up a future roadmap of 10 movies produced under the credit facility in the next three years, using average box office and budget numbers for his estimates, and came up with $1.5 billion of pure profits "without any meaningful cash risk to Marvel."

A hero can save us
The first two movies planned for release under the new terms are based on Iron Man and the Hulk. Waiting in the wings are Captain America, Thor, Nick Fury, Ant-Man, and the Avengers, all what David calls "hall of fame characters for Marvel. These rank up with our other characters -- the X-Men, The Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man -- in what we call our top tier of characters." Not all of these characters will get their own movies, but the successful ones will get a healthy dose of spinoffs and sequels, just like X-Men before them.

Maisel's closing remarks really hit home, with the clear focus on genuine creativity they describe. "The creative team are all fans of Marvel," he said. "We're passionate about the characters, we've been thinking about these movies for years and years. We have decades of stories and these are already in storyboard form. And so we can have the luxury of sitting there and looking at all these comics and drawing what we think is the best for the first movie, for the second movie, for the third movie -- many times we can plan them out that far in advance. And many writers in town are big Marvel fans, and directors, too."

That's how you become great in the entertainment business, and it's exactly what Disney is doing, too. Focus on great stories, and the rest follows, including profits and cash flow.

That wraps up our report from this presentation with Marvel Entertainment. Stay on the lookout for more "Fool on the Street" reports that bring you juicy information to which only the analysts have paid attention.

 

[Iceman]

^ Very interesting article above.

Marvel's future is looking good.

I saw the link on the front page and almost created a new thread. Then I saw the source of the article which eventually led me here. t:

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ He he he. Thanks.

 

[Advanced Dark]

LOS ANGELES, Oct 27 (Reuters) - A video game which lets players pick a dream team of Marvel super heroes flew in its debut week into the No. 1 slot on UBS Securities' weekly U.S. list of best-selling video games.
Activision Inc.'s (ATVI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance" pits Marvel teams against Dr. Doom and the newly reformed Masters of Evil, who have launched a bid for global domination.
Available on most currently available systems, the title has won strong critical reviews. Versions for Sony Corp.'s (6758.T: Quote, NEWS, Research) PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s (7974.OS: Quote, NEWS, Research) Wii are expected next month, when those consoles are also expected to be released. The latest game in the Tom Clancy series "Splinter Cell: Double Agent," published by Ubisoft (UBIP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) for Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Xbox 360 fell to second place from No. 1.


Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s (TTWO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) much-anticipated schoolyard brawler "Bully," rose to No. 3 from its debut spot at No. 7 last week.
Following is a list of the best-selling games in the week ending Oct. 27, according to UBS which devises its ranking from a survey of about 100 retail stores as well as input from online sites and video game Web site editors. Rank Title Publisher Platform Genre 1 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Activision PS2,XB,XB360
GBA,PSP,PC Action 2 Splinter Cellouble Agent Ubisoft PS2,XB,GC
XB360 Action 3 Bully Take-Two PS2 Action 4 Phantasy Star Universe Sega PS2,XB360,PC RPG 5 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 EA PS2,XB,XB360 PSP,PC Golf 6 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Midway PS2,XB Fight 7 Scarface VU Games PS2,XB,PSP

Continued...

 

[Advanced Dark]

Marvel reports earnings on Monday November 6th and releases 2007 guidance. We will hear about several things here. Linke below:

Press Release

Source: Marvel Entertainment, Inc.

Marvel to Report Q3 Results and Host Webcast Monday, November 6TH AT 9:00 a.m. EST
Tuesday October 10, 1:00 pm ET
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:MVL - News), a global character-based entertainment and licensing company, will release financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006 prior to the market's opening on Monday, November 6th. Marvel will then host a webcast at 9:00 a.m. EST that day to provide an overview of its financial results.

WEBCAST / REPLAY URL: www.marvel.com/webcasts or at www.earnings.com. An archived version of the webcast will be available for 30 days.


About Marvel Entertainment, Inc. With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused on utilizing its character franchises in licensing, entertainment, publishing and toys. Areas of emphasis include feature films, DVD/home video, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. Rooted in the creative success of over sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel's strategy is to leverage its character franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world. More information about Marvel can be found at www.marvel.com.


Contact:Jaffoni & CollinsRichard Land, David Collins, 212/835-8500[email protected]</SPAN>

 

[Retroman]

^^Nice.

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ Yeah I imagine we'll hear something on Punisher 2 if the script was only weeks away from completion...3 weeks ago. LOL Though LGF should be the one annoucing that.

 

[Retroman]

I hope they finally say who is writing the script.At the very least.

 

[Advanced Dark]

Marvel Reports Q3 2006 EPS of $0.16 and Initiates 2007 EPS Guidance Range of $1.35 - $1.55
Monday November 6, 6:58 am ET
Raises 2006 EPS Guidance Range to $0.61 - $0.64
Marvel will host a webcast today for all investors at 9:00 a.m. EST available at: www.Marvel.com/webcasts or www.fulldisclosure.com


NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL - News), a global character-based entertainment and licensing company, today 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 September 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.

Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
Segment Net Sales/Operating Income
(in Millions)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
9/30/06 9/30/05 9/30/06 9/30/05
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Licensing: Net Sales 28.3 33.2 101.7 148.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Income (1) 13.4 20.0 57.1 88.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Publishing: Net Sales 30.9 25.8 79.9 69.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Income 13.1 11.0 32.5 27.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Toys: Net Sales 33.0 22.1 85.0 56.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating Income 7.4 10.5 14.6 28.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporate Overhead: (6.3) (6.1) (18.0) (17.4)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL NET SALES $92.2 $81.1 $266.6 $273.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL OPERATING INCOME $27.6 $35.4 $86.2 $126.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) The nine-month period in 2005 includes the impact of a $10
million, one-time charge related to the settlement of litigation with
Stan Lee.

Marvel's Chairman, Morton Handel, commented, "The framework for Marvel's strategic transformation into a global entertainment company is largely complete, and we are excited about the outlook for our business in the coming years. We have refined the 2006 guidance as a result of better than expected operating results for the remainder of 2006. We have also initiated financial guidance for 2007 that demonstrates the strong line-up of entertainment and marketing exposure that should drive consumer awareness and sales of our licensed products. 2007 should be a pivotal year for Marvel, marked by three licensed feature film releases as well as the first full year of our toy license agreement with Hasbro.

"Of particular note in 2007, our Marvel Studios subsidiary expects to commence principal photography on our first Marvel-produced feature film, Iron Man, in the first quarter of 2007, and we anticipate filming on The Hulk to begin later in the year for its newly announced June 27, 2008 release date. In addition, Marvel Studios will continue development on several films targeted for 2009 and beyond."

Financial Guidance:

As reflected in the table below, Marvel today revised its financial guidance for 2006 and initiated financial guidance for 2007. A few key drivers behind Marvel's 2007 guidance are highlighted below.

Marvel Entertainment, Inc. - Financial Guidance
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(in millions,
except per- Updated 2006 Previous 2006 Initial 2007 2005
share amounts) Guidance Guidance (2) Guidance Actual (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Net sales $330 - $340 $320 - $350 $375 - $435 $391
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Net income (3) $53 - $56 $43 - $53 $115 - $132 $103
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Diluted EPS (3) $0.61 - $0.64 $0.50 - $0.60 $1.35 - $1.55 $0.97
----------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) FY 2005 net income and diluted EPS include a one-time charge of
approximately $12.5 million associated with the early termination
of Marvel's toy licensee, Toy Biz Worldwide Ltd.
(2) Previous 2006 guidance ranges were provided on August 2, 2006.
(3) 2006 net income and diluted EPS reflect $5.9 million (pre-tax) of
non-cash expenses related to the implementation of FAS 123R.

Primary 2007 Financial Guidance Drivers:

Expected strong Spider-Man movie merchandise licensing, triggered by the theatrical release of the Spider-Man 3 movie.
Toy license contributions related to Marvel's toy license agreement with Hasbro.
Initial film license revenue contributions from three feature films slated for release in 2007: Ghost Rider, Spider-Man 3, and Fantastic Four 2.
Contributions from domestic and international licensing revenues from "classic" brands.
Strong growth in interactive revenues.
Continued, modest top-line and bottom-line growth from the publishing division.
An effective tax rate of 37% in 2007 with only a marginal amount payable in cash for the year.
Marvel's guidance is based on 85.0 million diluted shares outstanding for 2007 and does not reflect any share repurchase activity in 2007.
Marvel cautions investors that variations in the timing of licenses and entertainment events, the timing of their revenue recognition, and their level of success result in variations and uncertainty in forecasting the Company's financial results. These factors could have a material impact on year-over-year and sequential quarterly results comparisons as well as Marvel's ability to achieve the financial performance included in its financial guidance.

Third Quarter Segment Review:

Licensing Segment net sales declined 15% from the year-ago period to $28.3 million, primarily due to lower contributions from domestic licensing and Marvel's Spider-Man merchandising joint venture (JV) with Sony. These declines were partially offset by gains in international licensing and the Marvel Studios operations. The $6.2 million reduction in domestic merchandise licensing sales resulted from lower anticipated new and renewal contract sales in the third quarter, which was partially offset by gains in overages. The Spider-Man JV had sales of only $0.8 million in Q3 2006, which were primarily related to licensing overages associated with catalog sales of the Spider-Man 2 video game. Studio media licensing sales increased to $4.3 million in Q3 2006, with the gain from the prior year predominantly generated from animated television and Direct-to-DVD projects.
Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
Licensing Sales by Division (Unaudited)
(in millions)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
9/30/06 9/30/05 9/30/06 9/30/05
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Domestic Consumer Products 14.3 20.5 52.9 76.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------
International Consumer Products 8.9 7.5 32.4 30.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spider-Man L.P. (Domestic and
International) 0.8 2.3 3.5 20.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvel Studios 4.3 2.9 12.9 21.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Licensing Segment $28.3 $33.2 $101.7 $148.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Operating margins in the licensing division were 47% in Q3 2006, below margins of 60% in the prior-year period, resulting from higher compensation and related expenses, coupled with lower revenues in the Q3 2006 period.

Marvel's Publishing Segment net sales increased $5.1 million or 20% from the year-ago period to $30.9 million, due to higher sales of trade paperbacks and hard cover books sold into the direct and book market channels. Comic book sales were bolstered by strong sales associated with Civil War, a high-profile special series that has tie-ins across many established comic book series. Publishing results also benefited from strong year-over-year growth in custom publishing. Publishing segment operating income in Q3 2006 was $13.1 million with an operating margin of 42%, compared to $11.0 million in operating income and an operating margin of 43% in the prior-year period.
The transition in Marvel's Toy Segment net sales from toys produced by a master toy licensee in 2005 to toy production by Marvel in 2006 contributed to an expected year-over-year increase in segment revenues. Sales in the quarter increased 49% versus the prior year, consisting primarily of core classic Marvel character lines. The shift from sales recorded in 2005 as royalty and service fee income, with no corresponding Cost of Revenues expense, to sales recorded in 2006 as wholesale sales subject to the corresponding Cost of Revenues expense, was the principal factor in operating margins decreasing to 22% for the third quarter of 2006, as compared to 48% in last year's period.
Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
Toy Sales Summary (Unaudited)
(in millions)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
9/30/06 9/30/05 9/30/06 9/30/05
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvel Toy Net Sales 33.0 4.9 85.0 12.8
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Toy License:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Toy Royalties -- 8.3 -- 21.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Fees for Services Rendered -- 8.9 -- 22.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Toy Segment $33.0 $22.1 $85.0 $56.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Balance Sheet Update:

As of September 30, 2006, Marvel had cash and equivalents of $34.9 million and $79.7 million in borrowings under its $125 million credit facility with HSBC Bank. During the third quarter of 2006 Marvel did not repurchase any additional shares under the repurchase program. As of September 30, 2006, the Company had $50.0 million remaining under its $100 million share repurchase authorization announced June 5, 2006.

Marvel Studios Entertainment Pipeline
(Development and release dates for licensed properties are controlled
by studio partners)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Licensed Marvel Character Feature Film Line-Up For 2007
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Film/Character Studio/Distributor Status
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ghost Rider Sony In post-production,
February 16, 2007
release
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spider-Man 3 Sony In production, May 4,
2007 release
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fantastic Four 2 Fox In production, June 15,
2007 release (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Film Projects Being Developed by Marvel (Partial List)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Film/Character Studio Status
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Iron Man Marvel Writer & director
engaged, slated for May
2, 2008
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Incredible Hulk Marvel Writer and director
engaged, slated for June
27, 2008 release (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ant-Man Marvel Writer and director
engaged
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Captain America Marvel Writer engaged
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nick Fury Marvel Writer engaged
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thor Marvel Writer engaged
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Avengers Marvel Writer engaged (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Panther, Cloak & Dagger, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Power Pack and
Shang-Chi are other projects that may be developed by Marvel. (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Licensed Marvel Character Film Development Pipeline (Partial List)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Film/Character Studio/Distributor Status
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wolverine Fox TBD
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Punisher 2 Lions Gate TBD
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Magneto Fox TBD
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Namor Universal TBD
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvel Character Animated TV Projects in Development
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Character Studio Status
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fantastic Four Moonscoop SAS (France) 26, 30 minute episodes
airing in 2006; U.S.
distribution started on
Cartoon Network on
September 2, 2006.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wolverine First Serve Toonz 26, 30 minute episodes in
(India) development
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Iron Man Method Films (France) 26, 30 minute episodes in
development
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvel Character Animated Direct-to-Video Projects in Development
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Partnership with Lions Gate to develop, produce and distribute
original animated DVD features. Titles include: Ultimate Avengers
(released February 21, 2006), Ultimate Avengers 2 (released August 8,
2006), Iron Man (scheduled for release in 2007) and Doctor Strange.
(1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvel Character Live Action TV Projects (Partial List)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alter Ego, Moon Knight and Skrull Kill Krew in development. (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2006 Video Game Releases
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Publisher Character group Release
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Activision X-Men 3 Released Q2 2006
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Activision Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Released Q4 2006
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2007 Video Game Releases
(Release dates controlled by Publishing partner)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Take-Two Ghost Rider Q1 2007 (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Konami Marvel Vs. Card Game Q1 2007 (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Activision Spider-Man 3 Q2 2007 (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Take-Two Fantastic Four II Q2 2007 (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Electronic Arts Marvel Nemesis 2 Q4 2007 (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Activision Spider-Man Trilogy Q4 2007 (1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing new on P2 yet. Expectations were for .12/cents a share! They raised 2006 estimates, and initiate 2007 ahead of analyst expectation...and 2006 was a freaking boring year! Cha-Ching!

 

[Advanced Dark]

Marvel closed at an all time "closing" high of 26.95 today up almost 100% from the lows earlier in the year! The great things is...these prices will seem cheap at this time next year. 3 major studio films next year, and then Marvel starts filming their first two efforts Hulk & Iron Man after that all of which will have DVD releases, video games, toys, merchandise etc...This was a lull year. MVL will be at $100/share within 48 months. It's worth the wait and considering the growth potential is still undervalued. I bought 400 more shares today!

 

[Advanced Dark]

I don't know much about stocks but I don't see marvel as a huge long term investment especially at their current price. By the time they start making their own films most of them will have been made by other studios already. Big hitters like Spider-man and X-Men will have been long done. All they'll be left with is a few crappy second or third tier superheroes. Who's the say the public will even embrace the genre anymore. This isn't to say you won't make some money but at 17 dollars a share forget it.

LOL t: $10.00/share later.

 

[Advanced Dark]

http://www.businessweek.com/investo...06.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_investing

Marvel Shows Its Might
The publishing and entertainment outfit's recent moves have boosted its revenues and share price. Can it sustain the superpowered surge?
by Ronald Grover

Want to see pent-up demand? There was plenty to spare at the San Diego Convention Center in July, when Marvel Entertainment (MVL) titillated the faithful at the annual Comic-Con convention. With nearly 1,000 die-hard comic-book fans in attendance, the company that makes Spider-Man swing and X-Men mutate unveiled plans for its next Incredible Hulk as well as new flicks based on its Ant Man and Iron Man franchises. Since then, Marvel shares have been supercharged, jumping 41%, to $26.52, on Nov. 9.

How much higher Marvel can leap is another story. The company beat Wall Street estimates on Nov. 6, announcing a 13.5% hike in revenue, to $92.2 million, although earnings declined by 43.5%, to $13.2 million. More important, the home to the Fantastic Four hiked both its guidance for 2007 and the rest of this year, sending analysts scurrying to boost the earnings targets. Raymond James analyst Joseph Hovorka, who rates Marvel outperform, hiked his 12-month target to $31.50, from $28, saying the number "is justified by the high free cash flow generation of the company."

Not everyone completely agrees, however. Although he boosted his own target price to $25 from $19 a share, Bank of America analyst Michael Savner maintained his neutral rating for the stock. Savner voices concern that the company's boost earlier in the year was likely fueled by stock buybacks, and he still worries that the company's "lack of transparency" about future prospects might make earnings the rest of the year "more risky." He also says management changes&#8212;the company's top international and consumer-products executives, and its primary film executive left this summer&#8212;have "made us increasingly skeptical."

Action Figures
Still, no one can fault Marvel for the steps it has taken to potentially boost its earnings. Late last year, it closed on a $525 million credit facility that it says will give it greater control over&#8212;and hopefully more revenue from&#8212;the production and timing of its films. That enables Marvel to make films on its own&#8212;such as Iron Man, which Paramount (a unit of Viacom (VIA)) will distribute in 2008&#8212;as well as to continue to license some of its films to studios like Sony (SNE), which will release Spider-Man 3 next summer. The downside is that Marvel must shell out money for the films that it intends to produce, which Marvel Executive Vice-President David Maisel said would cost between $100 million and $160 million apiece.

Marvel has taken other steps to boost its earnings. Late last year, it terminated its existing toy-licensing agreement with Toy Biz Worldwide and signed instead with Hasbro (HAS), which has already paid Marvel a $105 million advance for a deal that begins in January. The company hasn't yet booked much of the $75 million guarantee for Spider-Man 3, Marvel Chief Financial Officer Ken West told analysts. That advance is roughly double the guarantee for Spider-Man 2 and four times what the company got in 2001 for the original Spider-Man, West adds.

The expected revenue boost from next year's release of Spider-Man 3 by Sony and Fantastic Four 2 by Fox prompted the company to hike its 2007 net sales number to a range of $375 million to $435 million, according to West. The company is expected to have 2006 sales of $338 million in 2006, according to BoA analyst Savner's report. Savner also expects Marvel's operating margins to jump to 48.4% in 2007, from 30% this year and 43.8% in 2005, when its numbers were boosted by the release of the first Fantastic Four film and sales of Spider-Man 2 DVDs.

Those are superhero-like numbers&#8212;and a big reason why Wall Street has sent Marvel's stock skyward. Can the company that lives and dies by guys in masks continue to knock 'em dead? The market is there. Just ask the comic-book fanatics who gathered this summer in San Diego to cheer on Iron Man this summer. And that film's at least two years away from hitting the big screen.

Grover is Los Angeles bureau chief for BusinessWeek.

Reader Discussion

 

[Advanced Dark]

Another new high closing today at 28.06!!! See ya at 30!!!

 

[Advanced Dark]

Almost hit 30 went to 29.70's and then profit taking came in. Around 27.70-28.70 range today. Here's some new news:

Press Release
Source: Marvel Entertainment, Inc.

Marvel to Present at UBS Global Media and Communications Conference Monday, December 4th at 3:30 P.M. EST
Wednesday November 29, 1:58 pm ET
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL - News), a global character-based entertainment and licensing company, today announced that Marvel Vice Chairman, Peter Cuneo, will present at UBS' 34th Annual Global Media & Communications Conference on Monday, December 4th at 3:30 p.m. EST. The conference is being held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.


Live Webcast and Replay:
Via http://events.streamx.us/us/event/eventdetails.aspx?id=ubs20061204 or via http://www.marvel.com/company/index.htm?sub=webcasts_current.php. An archived version of the webcast will be available at these locations for thirty days.
Slide Presentation: The slide presentation that Marvel management will use at the conference will be available for download that day at www.marvel.com/company/index.htm?sub=webcasts_current.php.


About Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused on utilizing its character franchises in licensing, entertainment, publishing and toys. Areas of emphasis include feature films, DVD/home video, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. Rooted in the creative success of over sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel's strategy is to leverage its character franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world.

Contact:
Jaffoni & CollinsRichard Land or David Collins, 212-835-8500[email protected]</SPAN>Source: Marvel Entertainment, Inc.

 

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Almost hit 30 went to 29.70's and then profit taking came in. Around 27.70-28.70 range today. Here's some new news:

Press Release
Source: Marvel Entertainment, Inc.

Marvel to Present at UBS Global Media and Communications Conference Monday, December 4th at 3:30 P.M. EST
Wednesday November 29, 1:58 pm ET
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL - News), a global character-based entertainment and licensing company, today announced that Marvel Vice Chairman, Peter Cuneo, will present at UBS' 34th Annual Global Media & Communications Conference on Monday, December 4th at 3:30 p.m. EST. The conference is being held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.


Live Webcast and Replay:
Via http://events.streamx.us/us/event/eventdetails.aspx?id=ubs20061204 or via http://www.marvel.com/company/index.htm?sub=webcasts_current.php. An archived version of the webcast will be available at these locations for thirty days.
Slide Presentation: The slide presentation that Marvel management will use at the conference will be available for download that day at www.marvel.com/company/index.htm?sub=webcasts_current.php.


About Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused on utilizing its character franchises in licensing, entertainment, publishing and toys. Areas of emphasis include feature films, DVD/home video, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. Rooted in the creative success of over sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel's strategy is to leverage its character franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world.

Contact:
Jaffoni & CollinsRichard Land or David Collins, 212-835-8500[email protected]</SPAN>Source: Marvel Entertainment, Inc.

 

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Press Release

Source: Marvel Entertainment, Inc.

Marvel to Present at Citigroup Entertainment, Media & Telecom Conference Wed. Jan. 10th at 9:45 AM PST
Wednesday January 3, 7:00 am ET

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL - News), a global character-based entertainment and licensing company, today announced that David Maisel, Executive Vice President, Office of the Chief Executive, and Peter Cuneo, Vice Chairman, will present at Citigroup's 17th Annual Entertainment, Media & Telecommunications Conference on Wednesday, January 10th at 9:45 a.m. PST. The conference is being held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
​

Live Webcast and Replay:
Via http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/citigroup/emt07/75205116.cfm

or via http://www.marvel.com/company/index.htm?sub=webcasts_current.php.

An archived version of the webcast will be available at these locations for thirty days.
Slide Presentation:
The slide presentation that Marvel management will use at the conference will be available for download that day at www.marvel.com/company/index.htm?sub=webcasts_current.php.
About Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused on utilizing its character franchises in licensing, entertainment, publishing and toys. Areas of emphasis include feature films, DVD/home video, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. Rooted in the creative success of over sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel's strategy is to leverage its character franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world.

Contact:
Jaffoni & CollinsRichard Land or David Collins212-835-8500[email protected]</SPAN>​

​

Source: Marvel Entertainment, Inc.​

 

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http://digital50.com/news/items/BW/...icensing-deal-with-marvel-for-spider-man.html

<H1>PixFusion Signs Licensing Deal with Marvel for Spider-Man

NEW YORK-(Business Wire)-January 9, 2007 - PixFusion LLC (www.pixfusion.com), creator of personalized, branded video products, has signed a multi-year licensing deal with Marvel/Spider-Man(TM) Merchandising L.P. (NYSE: MVL) (www.marvel.com), one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, for the licensing of Spider-Man(TM) and his family of characters. Under terms of the agreement, PixFusion is using its patented technology to publish a photo-personalized Spider-Man video, "I Am the Amazing Spider-Man."
"I Am the Amazing Spider-Man," available through PixFusion's Kideo brand Web site (www.kideo.com), joins current licensed titles starring Dora the Explorer, Care Bears and Arthur. Using its patented process, PixFusion takes a child's color photo sent by e-mail or via regular mail and transforms it into a 25-minute action packed adventure based on "Spider-Man-The Animated Series" (MTV) and starring the featured child as the "web-slinger" himself, battling many of the legendary Spider-Man(TM) villains such as Electro and Lizard. The DVD also contains exciting bonus features including educational content and a music video set to the classic theme song from the 1960s animated cartoon with the child swinging into action "Spidey Style."
"I Am the Amazing Spider-Man" is a wonderful addition to our current product line," said Marc E. Jaffe, PixFusion CEO. "Children and fans alike will love watching themselves as Spider-Man taking on his arch enemies."
About PixFusion LLC
PixFusion LLC (www.pixfusion.com), established in 2001 with offices in both New York City and Palm Beach, Florida, creates personalized branded video products and services and uses its patented technology to automate the production of its finished products. PixFusion, recently awarded an iParenting Media Award, has proprietary content agreements and is continuing to expand its distribution networks to offer its personalized products direct to consumers and through retailers, manufacturers and other indirect channels. The company has commercialized children video products through its Kideo brand (www.kideo.com), a successful enterprise selling DVD videos to parents and grandparents of children ages one to seven. Kideo's existing content is licensed from some of the most prominent and respected pre-school brands including Dora the Explorer and Arthur. In addition to its consumer entertainment division, PixFusion has also entered into several licenses of its proprietary intellectual property platform based on the strength of its long standing patent portfolio.
About Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused on utilizing its character franchises in licensing, entertainment, publishing and toys. Areas of emphasis include feature films, DVD/home video, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. Rooted in the creative success of over sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel's strategy is to leverage its character franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world. More information at www.marvel.com.
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http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/citigroup/emt07/75205116.cfm

View the slide show from today. Short.

 

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AP
Ahead of the Bell: Marvel Entertainment
Thursday January 18, 9:15 am ET
Marvel Set to Benefit From Film Production, Should See Strong 2007, Analyst Says


NEW YORK (AP) -- A Susquehanna Financial Group analyst predicts a strong 2007 for Marvel Entertainment Inc., creator of the X-Men and Superman comic book heroes, partly from a self-financed film initiative.
ADVERTISEMENT


Analyst Michael A. Kelman in a client note initiated coverage on Marvel with a "Positive," or "Buy," rating.

"In our opinion, Marvel Entertainment should experience strong earnings momentum for the foreseeable future, driven by the success of licensed properties in the near term, and the release of its own feature film slate over the long term," he wrote.

The company gets a large part of its revenue from licensing its characters to film and toy makers. It is currently working on its first self-financed film, "Iron Man," expected for release in summer 2008. The film's cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr.

"Further, although we expect earnings volatility to remain high, Marvel now has an opportunity to participate directly in the success of its films, which should improve margins in its other businesses," added Kelman.

Even given a recent run-up in shares, the analyst believes the stock has not yet priced in potential from the film initiative. He predicts significant earnings growth in 2007.

Shares added 14 cents to $28.49 in premarket trading after closing at $28.35 a day earlier on the New York Stock Exchange.

Source: Business Wire

 

[hippie_hunter]

I don't think that anyone will doubt Marvel's success in 2007 due to Spider-Man 3 and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

I am curious about 2008 though. Marvel is going to do really, really good or really, really bad depending on the success of its movies.

 

[Advanced Dark]

2008 should be solid. Iron Man will make over 150 million and perhaps close to 200 million domestic. It has too much going for it. Hulk seems to me like it's going to move to a Winter 08 release. That's my speculation but that May/June timeframe is getting too crowded. No 3rd party studios have announced a Marvel licensed film yet but I think Daredevil will revert to Marvel in 08/09 if New Regency is still sitting on their ass. Don't be surprised to see Nick Fury suddenly appear on the radar, and Namor is likely for 09/10. This is a 35+ dollar stock by the end of this year and well into the 40's next year.