The covid lockdown saw film and TV production grind to an abrupt halt back in 2020. While in-person filming was difficult, the circumstances also rocketed streaming services from household convenience to survival tool, making them a more lucrative and competitive product than ever before.
Slowly but surely, studios have been able to get the gears of major productions moving again. If there's any proof that the film industry is back to full force, it's last weekend's San Diego Comic Convention -- the first full event since 2020. Among fans, Hall H is the place you want to be; it's where all the major studios and streaming companies reveal the biggest news about their upcoming projects.
After a long, slow two years of production delays and pivots to streaming, the frenzied success of this year's biggest fan culture event feels like a warm sight on the horizon. The much beloved universes of Marvel, DC, Star Trek, and more have returned.
DC Takes Aim At Marvel's Empire
It's no secret among fans that the DC Comics movies, owned by Warner-Discovery (WBD), have been slower to build out an intricate superhero world like Disney (DIS) has with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Fortunately, the DC-extended universe is adding two prospective money-makers: October's "Black Adam" and December's "Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods" both aim to move DC's films into a position to compete with Marvel's empire.
Later that evening, Marvel unrolled a bountiful selection of new trailers and promotional content for the next two phases of its film lineup, including trailer reveals for titles like "Wakanda Forever" and "She-Hulk". 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" brought in $2.79 billion at the box office, not to mention the billions in revenue produced by every film leading up to its finale. Now, with the unveiling of the final two acts in Marvel's future, we see highly anticipated projects starting to build into another billion-dollar event like Endgame.
For these two titans of entertainment, one hit movie almost certainly won't affect stock values. But a consistently-churning series of exciting stories marketable to families and adults alike that also has ties to monthly streaming services? That could certainly spell profits for any of these major companies. And a steady stream of films that put butts in theater seats bodes well for a movie theater business that struggled during the pandemic. And in the modern era of the internet, fans are extra keen to see movies on opening weekend lest a crucial moment be spoiled thanks to social media.
"Dungeons & Dragons", "Lord of the Rings", "Game of Thrones" & More
Theatergoers have more than just superhero movies to look forward to in the upcoming years. Hasbro (HAS) has been looking to the future of the hit roleplaying game "Dungeons & Dragons" (D&D) for its next treasure trove of stories. Created in 1974, D&D has a massive following across generational and identity lines, setting Hasbro up to potentially score a win at the box office when it releases its first film based on the popular game series in spring 2023.
Amazon (AMZN) also brought its own incredibly lucrative and beloved IP to the table. Prime's newest "Lord of the Rings" story, "The Rings of Power", will not only be a prequel to one of the oldest and most prolific fantasy narratives of all time, but will also retroactively build on Peter Jackson's film universe, too.
Meanwhile, Warner-Discovery's DC extended universe news got a good deal of attention, its their upcoming "Game of Thrones" series on HBO drew in massive crowds, too. Set as a prequel to George R.R. Martin's novel-based show, "House of Dragons", it could redeem the lackluster original series finale, and draw audiences back into the welcoming arms of Warner's streaming service HBO Max.
While Netflix (NFLX) has had its share of troubles this year, struggling at times to keep up in a market it helped to create, it's driving forward with another critically acclaimed comic book-based offering in "Sandman," which premiers on August 5.
