Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures today announced an agreement under which Paramount will distribute Marvel’s next five self-produced feature films worldwide. An extension of the original agreement made by Brad Grey when he arrived as CEO and chairman of Viacom-owned Paramount, the deal includes theatrical distribution in foreign territories previously serviced by Marvel through local distribution entities. These include Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Australia/New Zealand. Paramount distributed Iron Man, which has grossed roughly $574 million worldwide since kicking off the summer movie season.
The highly anticipated superhero pics slated for release through Paramount include Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010), Thor (July 16, 2010), The First Avenger: Captain America (May 6, 2011) and The Avengers (July 15, 2011). The distribution agreement also includes the inevitable Iron Man 3. Jon Favreau will return to the director’s chair for Iron Man 2, and word has it that actor/director Kenneth Branagh (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Henry V) is in talks to helm Thor.
‘Coming off of Iron Man‘s incredible success this summer, we could not be more excited about extending our relationship with Marvel,’ saus Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures. ‘Marvel’s iconic brand, its popular characters and its proven ability to create compelling and visually spellbinding films complement Paramount’s great history of filmmaking. We look forward to a long and successful run together.’
‘Paramount is an excellent partner and an outstanding global distributor,’ adds David Maisel, chairman of Marvel Studios. ‘Through our experience on Iron Man, Paramount has demonstrated a passion and ability to release Marvel properties theatrically, allowing us to focus on making great movies for the largest audience possible.’
Iron Man will debut on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday. Based on the long-running Marvel comic book series, the movie stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist who changes his ways after a near-fatal encounter with terrorists and becomes an iron-clad superhero. Directed by Jon Favreau (Zathura: A Space Adventure, Elf), the film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow,Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges. Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) served as the principle visual effects house.
