Post by harpospoke on May 18, 2018 20:25:50 GMT
Since some seem to have forgotten what a huge risk Marvel was taking in the beginning, here is a great article on the subject:
www.cnet.com/news/why-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-was-a-huge-risk-avengers-infinity-war/
Why the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a huge risk
As Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War smash box office records, it's strange to think Marvel's movies were a gamble 10 years ago.
BY
RICHARD TRENHOLM
MAY 3, 2018 7:00 AM PDT
Avengers: Infinity War just blew the roof off the box office, barely three months after Black Panther became one of the biggest films of all time. Yup, we can't get enough of Marvel movies.
But when it began 10 years ago this month, the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- which has expanded to 19 films, reinvented serialized movies, and made eye-watering amounts of cash -- was actually quite a gamble.
I am Iron Man
Back in 2008, Iron Man, the first MCU film, was far from a guaranteed hit. For starters, the Iron Man character had never appeared in a movie or live-action TV show, putting him behind the likes of Spider-Man and the Hulk in terms of general public awareness. And the big thing at the box office back then was the gritty and grounded Dark Knight series, which self-consciously played down its more comic book-y elements. Colorful and fantastic movies like Green Lantern and Ang Lee's Hulk were just as likely to flop as hit big.
As if that wasn't enough, Marvel brought in two guys to head up Iron Man who were definitely gambles.
"In the late 1990s Robert Downey Jr. was uninsurable," says box office analyst Stephen Follows, "making him unemployable to any production which wanted to get a completion bond." Despite being an Oscar-nominated actor, Downey had never fronted a blockbuster like this -- and neither had director Jon Favreau, the guy from Swingers, whose main directing experience was Christmas comedy Elf and a largely overlooked Jumanji sequel.
As Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War smash box office records, it's strange to think Marvel's movies were a gamble 10 years ago.
BY
RICHARD TRENHOLM
MAY 3, 2018 7:00 AM PDT
Avengers: Infinity War just blew the roof off the box office, barely three months after Black Panther became one of the biggest films of all time. Yup, we can't get enough of Marvel movies.
But when it began 10 years ago this month, the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- which has expanded to 19 films, reinvented serialized movies, and made eye-watering amounts of cash -- was actually quite a gamble.
I am Iron Man
Back in 2008, Iron Man, the first MCU film, was far from a guaranteed hit. For starters, the Iron Man character had never appeared in a movie or live-action TV show, putting him behind the likes of Spider-Man and the Hulk in terms of general public awareness. And the big thing at the box office back then was the gritty and grounded Dark Knight series, which self-consciously played down its more comic book-y elements. Colorful and fantastic movies like Green Lantern and Ang Lee's Hulk were just as likely to flop as hit big.
As if that wasn't enough, Marvel brought in two guys to head up Iron Man who were definitely gambles.
"In the late 1990s Robert Downey Jr. was uninsurable," says box office analyst Stephen Follows, "making him unemployable to any production which wanted to get a completion bond." Despite being an Oscar-nominated actor, Downey had never fronted a blockbuster like this -- and neither had director Jon Favreau, the guy from Swingers, whose main directing experience was Christmas comedy Elf and a largely overlooked Jumanji sequel.
www.cnet.com/news/why-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-was-a-huge-risk-avengers-infinity-war/
