Disney's bold move in acquiring Marvel reasserts the primacy of content and brings a new creative and demographic balance to the company. In a single stroke, Disney has added an enormous trove of valuable male-skewing 'comic book' properties with broad applicability to nearly every entertainment medium; only a relative few of Marvel's characters have so far been exploited as either film or television franchises. Disney has repaired a major weakness in its creative positioning, and the merger should have positive repercussions for many, many years.

Marvel Entertainment Revenue Breakdown ($m)

Marvel Entertainment: Financial Summary ($m)

Marvel Entertainment: 1998 Compared to 2009 ($m)

published: 08-Sep-09

pages: 10 - tables & charts: 3