The success of Disney’s billion-dollar blockbuster, “The Avengers,” has unleashed a Hollywood war of words worthy of Marvel’s comic book heros.
Executives at Marvel are upset after word leaked that Viacom’s Paramount will pocket $115 million in fees for “Avengers” and the upcoming “Iron Man 3” — even after it lost distribution rights last fall following Disney’s $4 billion takeover of Marvel. They are privately slamming Paramount as having lost out on future “Avengers” paydays to Disney because of their toxic attitude, sources tell The Post.
“Everything was an argument,” said one source familiar with the sniping between the two studios.
“[Paramount] wouldn’t even let [Marvel] see a cut of trailers. It was a toxic partnership, and there was overall hostility to Marvel,” the source said.
Toward the end of the partnership, Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter and Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore battled over everything, sources said, from control of distribution rights in France to the number of DVDs ordered for retail outlets to the number of dollars Paramount spent with sibling Viacom properties.
Marvel brass think it’s odd that Paramount would boast of its distribution take in the wake of its losing out on future millions, these sources added.
Sources noted that Paramount could have negotiated up from its 8 percent distribution fee to as much as 12 percent on a second installment of “The Avengers.” That sweetener would have put an extra $40 million into the coffers of Chairman Sumner Redstone’s studio.
Some industry sources countered that Marvel’s comments are nothing more than sour grapes.
“Marvel was unhappy Paramount wouldn’t just let distribution go, and it was a very tough negotiation,” one source noted. “Paramount drove a very hard bargain.”
Reps for both Marvel and Paramount declined comment.