Has comic publishing become a "loss leader" for movies?

[dekeuk]

Milk and eggs are often loss leaders for supermarkets. They sell them at cost or even at a loss in order to get people into their stores.

 

So is the comic industry becoming similar?

 

I don't know the financial stats for the comic industry.

 

But as a comic publisher, I would gladly publish a comic book that lost $1 million per year if it meant it got (or kept) the character in the general public every month and I could make a movie that grossed $100 milion+ every 3 years. Plus the licensing, merchandising, toy sales, etc.

 

The key is that you have to have adequate cash flow to absorb the publishing losses every month to make this financial model work.

 

This does not work for new publishers, only established ones.

 

 

 

[Bronty]

There might be some element of that... but for the most part I would say no. Most characters big enough to make big movies probably sell enough books to at least break even, I would think. I.e. any first tier comic character like spidey or batman probably does well enough to soldier on. And some characters like FF and superman sales would really truly have to stink bigtime before they ever got cancelled... those aren't just comic titles they are also a big part of the corporate identity and brand. For example, if DC stopped publishing superman and batman they might as well close up shop altogether.

[MR.COMICBOOK]

There might be some element of that... but for the most part I would say no. Most characters big enough to make big movies probably sell enough books to at least break even, I would think. I.e. any first tier comic character like spidey or batman probably does well enough to soldier on. And some characters like FF and superman sales would really truly have to stink bigtime before they ever got cancelled... those aren't just comic titles they are also a big part of the corporate identity and brand. For example, if DC stopped publishing superman and batman they might as well close up shop altogether.

That`s why DC/Marvel should start creating some new and innovative characters, it could be suicidal in the future putting all thier eggs in one basket with Superman,Batman/Spider-man and marvel mutants, the public is fickle, even Batman was almost cancelled in the late 1970`s and I believe X-men was cancelled twice. if these characters ever start to appear lame to the modern audience, both Marvel/DC could be severly affected.