Ang Lee's Hulk made $245M at the worldwide box office, a fair enough sum for the time that saw it pretty much break even, but considerably lower than X-Men 2's $407M that same summer and well below Spider-Man's $821M a year earlier. KEEP READING:She-Hulk Fan Proves Tatiana Maslany Looks Just Like the MCU Superhero, Source: The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. event : evt, The Incredible Hulk star Tim Roth is also reprising his MCU role as Emil Blonsky/Abomination for She-Hulk, having recently lent his vocals to the character for his cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Own It Now on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital. Disneys contract with Universal likely expires in a few years, so the company will most likely build their own Marvel-themed park. During their stay, attendees can attend superhero training sessions with Iron Man and Black Widow. However, unlike most other reacquisitions where the creator gets the character back outright, with Hulk Universal still has a clause - seemingly in perpetuity - of first refusal on distributing any Hulk films. In 2012, Marvel and Universal reached a deal that allowed Marvel to produce a new Hulk film, but the rights to the character still remain with Universal. In 2018, Disney generated $20.3 billion in revenue, while Universal Theme Parks generated $5.7 billion. However, it's not like there's no Hulk in the MCU. In 1994, Universal Studios obtained the rights to license the Marvel comic books theme parks. The Hulk's appearances in other films and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law continue his story and make him the connective tissue for a number of these discrete stories. With the current state of Hulk's distribution rights sitting up in the air, new evidence has been uncovered to suggest when Disney will reacquire the rights. Marvel and Sony Strike a Deal in 1998 to License the Film Rights to Spider-Man and 900 Related Characters Back when superheroes were still in their infancy, Sony and Marvel struck a deal to license the film rights to Spider-Man and 900 related characters. HULK Star Josh Lucas Has Nothing But Good Things To Say About Ang Lee's Divisive Marvel Movie While Marvel Studios is able to include The Hulk and Namor in movies, they've been restricted from. One of these is Bruce Banner/Hulk, explaining why The Incredible Hulk is still the only MCU solo film for the character. Universal had been working with Marvel on a number of projects, including a theme park attraction based on The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride at Islands of Adventure. . It's clear that Disney/Marvel do not have a problem distributing their superhero adventures through another studio, though that is not their top choice. Over the past few years, Marvel Studios has set out to acquire most of the rights to Marvel Comics characters. However, Feige expanded in July 2014 saying that Marvel Studios, not Universal Pictures or Legendary Pictures, could make a Namor film, "but it's slightly more complicated than that. Now Open - Get Details. Marvel can't make a Hulk standalone, but they probably wouldn't want to even if they could. There are numerous characters from films and TV shows that are based on Universal Studios properties. And Marvel/Disney have recently entered an agreement to partner with Sony on a new Spider-Man reboot that will be distributed by Sony Pictures. Marvel movies are based on comic books that were first published in the 1930s. Marvel Studios and Universal Pictures have had a long and complicated relationship. Fury of the Gods Special: Shazamily Matters, 10 Marvel Movies That Were Set Up To Fail, 10 Sci-Fi Films That Bombed At The Box Office But Became Cult Classics, Quantumania's MODOK Actor Defends His Ant-Man Role After Fan Backlash. Disney and Marvel made Iron Man 2 with Paramount distributing the movie. Terms Of Service | This means that the release of any Hulk/Namor solo film from the initial greenlighting of the film, to theatrical and home releases, as well as sorting out distribution revenue shares and so on falls solely on Universal's shoulders. The opportunity to expand on Disneys involvement in the Marvel universe is one of the most promising things to come. Learn More. The Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios are now open, and Marvels Super Hero Island is available there. Yet due to Universal Pictures releasing the prior Hulk film, they held the distribution rights to The Incredible Hulk. Why Marvel Can't Make a Standalone MCU Hulk Movie, it's been proven that supposed leaks suggesting development were false, Why Marvel Put Planet Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok, Marvel wasn't able to wrangle Galactus and the Silver Surfer back from Fox, Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno The Incredible Hulk TV series, first refusal on distributing any Hulk films. Under the licensing arrangements, the third-party studios incur the costs to produce and distribute the films, and the Company retains the merchandise licensing rights. Exploring The Possibility Of Superman Growing Up With Parents: What Could Have Been? Dragon Ball Z Characters Who Could Defeat Superman. Under the licensing arrangements for The Fantastic Four and X-Men, the third-party studio pays the Company a licensing fee and receives a share of the Companys merchandise revenue on these properties. Also, after She-Hulk introduced Skaar, Hulk's son, and began planting seeds of a Hulk story many have longed to see, it is no secret that solo films for both characters would be welcome in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its known that Marvel Chairman Ike Perlmutter had the Fox-Marvel characters killed off in the comics (Fantastic Four, Wolverine, etc.) Shocking Facts About Casino Real Story, Homemade Smoothie Recipes You Need to Try This Season, Lupita Nyongo is headed to A Quiet Place, Elevate Your Movie Nights with These Affordable Home Theater Upgrades. Related: Marvel Was Right To Scrap Black Panthers Original Namor Credits Scene. Yet, over time, the rights to characters came back to Marvel from studios like New Line and Paramount. 3 (2016). The most notable example of a theme park operator holding Marvel theme park rights is Universal Parks & Resorts, which operates two theme parks with Marvel-themed attractions: Universal Studios Florida and Universals Islands of Adventure. Lewis Glazebrook is a Senior Features writer for Screen Rant. Since The Incredible Hulk, the character has appeared in all four Avengers movies, as well as cameos in Iron Man 3, Captain Marvel, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and supporting roles in Thor: Ragnarok and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Nope, The Batman Spinoff The Penguin Now Filming, Batman George Clooney Rumored For The Flash, Marvels Ant-Man 3 Breaks Batman vs Superman Record. Marvel Super Hero Island is part of Universals Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Here Universal's the only ones who win. Ruffalo is now playing Bruce Banner/Hulk in the She-Hulk TV series, which is allowed under Marvel's deal with Universal since it's not a standalone Hulk project. This complicated legal issue has since led the MCU to limit Hulk to supporting roles and omit solo projects altogether. This is why Marvel Studios are unlikely to release a solo film for either character anytime soon, as they would not have full control over the distribution of their own film. They do own the distribution rights for Incredible Hulk (2008), currently, but not necessarily to Hulk as a franchise. The scrappy little movie company led by Kevin Feige could make movies, but it had no way to get them into theaters. Marvel theme park rights are the exclusive rights to use Marvel intellectual property at an amusement park or other theme park setting. Universal seems unbending. Copyright | Ended: Feb 21, 2023. KEEP READING: She-Hulk Fan Proves Tatiana Maslany Looks Just Like the MCU Superhero In addition, Universal is still the owner of the rights to this character. While Marvel Studios is able to include The Hulk and Namor in movies, they've been restricted from releasing solo outings due to Universal holding those rights. callback: cb It's well known that characters' movie rights have a big influence on the Marvel films made. Star-Lord from The Guardians of the Galaxy and Gamora from Doctor Strange are two of the Marvel characters that we know and love, and both will appear in Disneys Hollywood Studios in the near future. Based in London, he oversees a global news & features team based in NY, LA and beyond. Paramount also distributed the first Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor. Hulk has had his own solo movie and appeared in several Marvel Studios films. The most important verbiage is that Universal owns the rights to Marvel "in perpetuity"; meaning for as long as the contract is in good standing. All Rights Reserved. Prior to the Companys acquisition of Marvel in fiscal year 2010, Marvel had licensed the rights to third-party studios to produce and distribute feature films based on certain Marvel properties including Spider-Man (licensed to Sony Pictures Entertainment), The Fantastic Four (licensed to 21CF) and X-Men (licensed to 21CF). In recent years, Marvel has been trying to get the rights to its characters back from Universal, but has had little success. Disney has acquired the intellectual property rights to the characters, stories, and settings from Marvels comics. The attractions at Universal Studios Florida, such as Harry Potter and Jurassic World, are already doing this. With the acquisition of Marvel in 2004, Disney increased its popularity even further among people who do not read comic books. While both are highly expected to be important to the MCU's future, they will only be able to be used in the way Hulk has been thus far. What makes Marvel movies so special is that they are able to appeal to a wide range of people. That may not seem like a big deal, but for investors, it sure would be. The Hulk might be coming home as rumors are spreading that claim Marvel now completely owns the rights to the big, green and angry hero, which could potentially lead to a new series of standalone films for the Hulk. RELATED: Why Bob Iger Returning to Disney May Be Bad for Marvel Fans. Neither of the films got great attention either; The Incredible Hulk is one of the worst reviewed of the entire MCU and is often forgotten when it comes to full-franchise assessment. Universal Studios Hollywood Height Requirements - 40 Inches or Taller. Sure, anything could happen if the deal ends, but whats most likely is they just renew the deal. Disney purchased Marvel Universal to ensure the continuation of their partnership. This is why the one truly successful outing for Hulk is the TV series, which by its nature focused on Banner's conflict and internal drama - things that are great for episodic TV but not really a big blockbuster movie. The relationship between Marvel and Universal is complicated, to say the least. The film production company is a joint venture between Disney and Marvel. ComicBookMovie.com is a registered trademark and has been officially registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Marvel won back the Hulk movie production rights in 2005, after Universal failed to put a sequel to 2003's Hulk into immediate production. HULK: Marvel Studios May Finally Regain The Jade Giant's Theatrical Rights From Universal In 2023 The last time the MCU's Jade Giant starred in his own movie was 2008's The Incredible Hulk,. Reddit useru/vidoardesshared evidence that indicates Disney may regain the distribution rights to the Hulk in June 2023, allowing them to produce a new solo movie based on the green Avenger. Disney will be able to make Marvel-based films with the deal. Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwill introduce the Atlantean ruler, played by Tenoch Huerta, but his MCU future remains up in the air as of now. It really all comes down to contracts. Both Namor and the Incredible Hulk are characters Disney owns the rights to use in stories, films or television. "As such, if Disney makes a Hulk or Namor film, Comcast can distribute the film on Peacock. The Marvel brand is not permitted by Disney to be used in the licensing of Marvel content to U.S. theme parks. This deal was completed earlier this year between NBC Universal and The Blackstone Group, which owns 50% of Universal Orlando. The ensembles allow the character to show his strengths, and not focus on the weaknesses that would come out in a movie devoted solely to Hulk. This may come as a shock to new age readers but no, Marvel Studios does not actually have the movie rights to The Hulk. However, as Marvel Studios have not yet made any effort to do so despite Mark Ruffalo's Hulk being such an integral MCU character, it is unlikely to happen. Regarding the Marvel Studios Spider-Man films, Disney pays Sony a licensing fee to use the character (Civil War, Homecoming, Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Far From Home) based on how each film performs at the box office. Now, it could be simply the company wasn't going to give up their ability to call on the powerful clause rather than actual disagreement, but it's clear the whole situation comes down to that.