The 5 Worst Comic Book Movies

The Villainy of a Bad Box Office Showing

More studios are taking risks on comic book adaptations, but disasters can be costly.

● A $200 million film can cost at least another $100 million to market.

● Strong reviews and positive word of mouth are critical for generating mass market appeal.

● The Lone Ranger had neither, and is on track to cost Walt Disney as much as $190 million.

As investors, how can we know when a comic book adaptation is headed for box office failure?

Source: Flickr.

3 Signs a Comic Book Film Will Be Successful

Source: FlickeringMyth.com.

What makes a winner? Let the data lead the way.

● Google it! Use the “Trends” tool to gauge interest over time compared to same-week releases. Tough competition can kill the box office draw of an otherwise good film.

● Check with fans. San Diego Comic-Con screens every major property months before it reaches theaters. Is the buzz positive? Negative? The Green Hornet failed to impress at the 2010 con, and, subsequently, the box office.

● Studio expectations. Hollywood plays the expectations game too. Are opening weekend estimates headed lower? Higher? Check with Variety, Hollywood Reporter, and of course, Fool.com.

Several recent adaptations have come up short. These 5 are notable for how badly they flopped ...

Dredd

Source: IMDb.

THE BREAKDOWN

Summary: “In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.” (source: IMDb)

Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey

Worldwide ticket sales: $35.6 million

Production budget: $50 million

Did you know? The main character, Judge Dredd, is one of a handful of British comic book characters to attract a global following.

Green Lantern

Sources: Warner Bros., Beyond Hollywood

THE BREAKDOWN

Summary: “A test pilot is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.” (source: IMDb)

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong

Worldwide ticket sales: $219.9 million

Production budget: $200 million

Did you know? Reynolds played Deadpool in another high-profile superhero stinker: 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Jonah Hex

Source: Warner Bros.

THE BREAKDOWN

Summary: “The U.S. military makes a scarred bounty hunter with warrants on his own head an offer he cannot refuse: in exchange for his freedom, he must stop a terrorist who is ready to unleash Hell on Earth.” (source: IMDb)

Starring: Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox

Worldwide ticket sales: $10.9 million

Production budget: $47 million

Did you know? The 41-year-old DC Comics character first appeared in the February-March 1972 issue of All-Star Western before going on to headline his own title. With DC’s 2011 reboot of its entire comics line Hex was once again named the star of All-Star Western, volume three of the title.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Source: Universal Pictures.

THE BREAKDOWN

Summary: “Scott Pilgrim must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes in order to win her heart.” (source: IMDb)

Starring: Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Worldwide ticket sales: $47.7 million

Production budget: $60 million

Did you know? Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley originally published his series in six black-and-white volumes through indie outfit Oni Press.

The Spirit

Source: Lionsgate

THE BREAKDOWN

Summary: “Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces in Central City.” (source: IMDb)

Starring: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes

Worldwide ticket sales: $39.0 million

Production budget: $60 million

Did you know? The top award for creative achievement in comics is named for Will Eisner, who created The Spirit in 1940 as a Sunday newspaper insert.

Still, Opportunity Abounds ...

Comic book adaptations have a long and impressive track record.

● Box Office Mojo says there have been 118 since 1978, when Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie set a standard that studios would spend decades trying to meet.

● Then, in 2002, Sony released Spider-Man to a $400 million U.S. box office and comic book films were once again marketable property.

● Today, the average wide-release comic book adaptation earns $111 million at home and untold millions more overseas.

There’s too much money at stake to not be investing in this sector of the entertainment business. How to get in? Let’s review your options ...

Source: Marvel Entertainment

4 Stocks With Super Potential

Disney is one of four big-name studios with rights to multibillion-dollar comic book properties. What are the three others? Here’s a closer look ...

● One is a recent addition to the Nasdaq that not only controls the film rights to some of the world’s biggest-name comics franchises but also produces a number of hit television shows.

● Another sold the merchandising rights to a popular comic book character in exchange for a bigger piece of the box office pie. A well-known activist investor has since bought in on the belief that this company’s entertainment assets are significantly undervalued.

● And finally, this studio is so savvy that its latest comic book film was headed for profitability before the opening curtain.

We reveal the secret identities of these stocks in a just-released special report, and we’re offering you a free copy. Click here to claim yours now.