Marvel, Paramount in New Distribution Deal

HOLLYWOOD, September 30:
Paramount Pictures has inked a new five-year deal to distribute worldwide the
next five self-produced features from Marvel Entertainment, following the success
of their previous collaboration on Iron Man.

The new deal includes
theatrical distribution in foreign territories previously serviced by Marvel
through local distribution entities in Japan, Germany, France, Spain and
Australia/New Zealand. Features covered under the new arrangement are Iron
Man 2 (excluding Germany) for May
2010, Thor for July 2010, The
First Avenger: Captain America for
May 2011, The Avengers for July
2011 and Iron Man 3.

"Coming off of Iron
Man's incredible success this
summer, we could not be more excited about extending our relationship with
Marvel," said Rob Moore, the vice chairman of Paramount Pictures.
"Marvel's iconic brand, its popular characters and its proven ability to
create compelling and visually spellbinding films complement Paramount's great
history of filmmaking. We look forward to a long and successful run
together."

"Paramount is an
excellent partner and an outstanding global distributor," added David
Maisel, the chairman of Marvel Studios. "Through our experience on Iron
Man, Paramount has demonstrated a
passion and ability to release Marvel properties theatrically, allowing us to
focus on making great movies for the largest audience possible."

—By Mansha Daswani