Iron Man 3 debuts around the world this weekend, and May 3 in U.S. theaters. All signs point to a big opening and what could be the summer's first $1 billion film.
IM3 is the beginning of "Phase 2" of the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which movies come together in a serialized, but cohesive, story -- like in the comic books. When last Marvel did this, the sixth and final film of Phase 1 -- Marvel's The Avengers -- brought in $1.5 billion.
Phase 2 includes two other sequels, including Thor: The Dark World, which is scheduled for November. Five films are confirmed at this point, and work on Phase 3 has commenced. The point for investors? Walt Disney (DIS 1.54%) has a long-term plan for how to collect billions more from its Marvel investment. It's only a matter of time before we see a similar plan from Time Warner (TWX), says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following interview with The Motley Fool's Erin Miller.
Can Marvel's Phase 2 films deliver on an even bigger scale than Phase 1? Please watch this short video to get Tim's full take, and then leave a comment to let us know whether you'd buy, sell, or short Disney stock now, and why.
