For Hasbro, Marvel Comics characters are apparently even bigger than all the wookies in the world. According recent Wall Street analysis and an earnings report that beat estimates by 9%, the 5 year, 205 million dollar deal Hasbro signed with Marvel 15 months ago is already paying off and has serious potential to be bigger than bigger than the Lucas deal Hasbro signed when the Prequels dropped. Let’s cut through the boring stuff to this:

The real culprit here is underestimating the company’s licensing deal with Marvel (NYSE: MVL). The five-year deal was penned 15 months ago, but went into effect this year. The licensing won’t come cheap, with Hasbro agreeing to pay at least $205 million in fees. Hasbro gambled big several years ago — and won — when it paid for Star Wars licensing rights. But the Marvel deal could be even more valuable to Hasbro because there are several superhero properties like Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four to exploit.

With Spider-Man 3 hitting theaters next weekend, the current quarter should be another winner. Two months later, the highly-anticipated Transformers movie makes its way to your local multiplex. That’s another Hasbro franchise that’s a no-brainer to grow later this year.

The full article, including talk about icky stuff like Littlest Pet Shop, can be found here.

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