Superheroes, Vampires, and Aliens

There's Money To Be Made With The Un-dead

Lugosi as Dracula

My counterpart at CMG, Seymore Flix, recently posted on the box office success of the Marvel superhero films and it appears that Disney has it all over the other studios in this regard.  Owning Marvel Entertainment, as well as, LucasFilms (with its upcoming three-bagger of 'Star Wars' sequels), not to mention Pixar Studios and its original animation production arm - it appears Disney is well positioned to take a dominate role in the cinema's box office future.

Ah, but not to worry and fret to much for the other studios, my friends, for moviegoers, in addition to their addiction for superheros and talking animals also have an appetite for vampires, the un-dead, werewolves, oversized Godzilla-like monsters, wizards, and mythological beings.  Witness last week's purchase by Universal Studios of the rights (no amount was disclosed) to Anne Rice's 'Vampire Chronicles', a series of 13 novels, the first of which will be produced by the folks who brought you 'Transformers' and the 'Star Trek' movies.

Dunst, Pitt, and Cruise in 'Interview'

The Rice novels/films will follow in the footsteps of  Bella Lugosi's 'Dracula' and a long series of vampire inspired movies, the most recent being the huge success of the 'Twilight' series. Rice's first novel, 'Interview With the Vampire' was made into a film and release in 1994 - starring a very young cast of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Kirsten Dunst - it grossed over $225 million globally.

Recent photo of Rice 

Universal, like all of the other major studios, is investing heavily in the supernatural. It currently has plans to revive Dracula, the Mummy, and Frankenstein.  The Mummy is up first, with a scheduled release date of April 2016.  And, of course, with their inking of the rights to Rice's 13 novel series Universal may be looking at a decade-plus long string of films that may become the industry's mega-franchise of all time.


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Jim Lavorato