Since its origins, comic book culture has gone a long way. It was originally considered a fringe passion for socially awkward nerds, but that attitude altered with the release of popular comic book adaptations featuring actors like Christopher Reeve and Michael Keaton in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, the actual game changer for the comic book business was Walt Disney’s acquisition of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) rights in 2009. The MCU, which has now grown to 30 films, has grossed over $25 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing series in history.
This success has not gone ignored by other media companies, who are now attempting to replicate the MCU model in order to partake in the revenues. Amazon, in particular, has ambitious aspirations to build its own media world based on the popular video game series “Tomb Raider.”
