If you are a regular reader you know about my fascination with the 'sudden' popularity of Urban Fantasy.  Here is some news from the makers of our most famous Heroic Icons. 

Marvel’s Bigger Picture: Going Hollywood in a Smart Way

The Superhero business is booming. Marvel Entertainment's (MVL) first self produced movie, Iron Man, dominated the weekend box office, earning an estimated $201m in global receipts in its debut. At the same time, on Wall Street, the company didn’t fare badly either. Marvel posted a better than expected quarter and raised 2008 guidance. These numbers are only a small part of a bigger story.

BY THE NUMBERS
Iron Man’s actual weekend gross according to Box Office Mojo came in just under $100m at $98.6. The receipts, however, were still enough to push the movie into an elite list, housing the top ten opening weekends of all time. Not bad for a company’s first effort at making a film themselves (Paramount is handling distribution). 

On the Street, Marvel reported net income of $45.2m or 58 cents a share. That result beat adjusted analyst expectations of 45 cents a share on revenues of $113.5m. The company also raised sales outlook for the rest of 2008. The lower end of the projected net sales range is now set at $370m, up from $360m. Income is forecast in a range of $1.35 to $1.55 a share, up from a range of $1.30 to $1.50.

THE BIGGER PICTURE
Strong as Marvel’s immediate numbers are, the bigger picture isn’t today’s box office or earnings but how Marvel has redefined itself, and where the new version might be headed.

Just 12 years ago, the company founded in 1939 and famous for giving life to characters like the Fantastic Four and Spider Man was in bankruptcy. Despite thousands of characters, a library of comic and superhero icons, the money wasn’t there. Poor deals were partly a factor. Licensing agreements struck in that era were paying Marvel a pittance of an allowance compared to fortunes directed to movie makers. 

for more of this must read click on the link!  http://seekingalpha.com/article/76011-marvels-bigger-picture-going-hollywood-in-a-smart-way?source=yahoo