A Disney Buyout of Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment (OTCQB: POWN) Makes Sense Now.
Online, January 30, 2014 (Newswire.com) - POW! Entertainment (OTCQB: POWN) headed up by iconic comic creator Stan Lee and legendary movie producer Gill Champion, has seen explosive growth lately.
Stan Lee himself is now bigger than ever. With numerous TV and Movie cameos and the continued reintroduction of his characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, X-Men, etc., Lee is now a household name.
Although many blockbusters featuring Lee's characters are already owned by Disney, via their 2009 acquisition of Marvel, what Disney doesn't own is the name "Stan Lee" itself. Nor do they own the numerous intellectual properties that Lee has been churning out in the last 5 years. POW! Entertainment reserves that right. A right that is proving very lucrative.
From a signature cologne, to Lee's annual Comikaze expo, to numerous new comics and characters developed and in development, POW! Is hard at work. In fact, Lee has a new franchise coming out this February called "Mighty 7" featuring an all-star cast as well as Lee himself. The licensing and merchandising of Mighty 7 could be worth tens of millions of dollars.
Disney and POW! share a nice relationship as well. Through Disney's subsidiary, Silver Creek Entertainment, Lee and POW! are entitled to substantial consulting fees for movies developed under Marvel and in return Disney is entitled to a "first look" at projects POW! has under development.
The problem for Disney is that their contract with POW! and the Stan Lee name expires in 2014. Industry insiders suggest that with the number of additional projects featuring Stan Lee's characters, via Marvel, that Disney has in production, it may be a logical next step for Disney to simply buy POW! rather than renegotiate their contract with Lee and POW!.
It has also been suggested that Lee's age of 91 years old, and a possible legal mess over his estate may also be a motivator to simply bring POW! Entertainment and the Stan Lee brand under the Disney umbrella.
Disney is certainly not averse to purchasing numerous media, production, and entertainment companies. Considering Stan Lee's characters are some of the biggest draws for Disney, most analysts believe a Disney acquisition of POW! is all but certain this year. A move that could prove very fortunate for POWN shareholders. Most of whom are not the usual investors but, devoted Stan Lee fans.
This article does not constitute advice to buy or sell securities.