Early reviews of Man of Steel are in, and they're, well, disappointing. Only 57% of critics like the film, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Not exactly Green Lantern numbers, but also a far cry from the 78% who like Iron Man 3. Strike two for DC Entertainment and Time Warner (TWX) stock, right? Not exactly, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following video.
The negative reviews may not matter. According to U.K. newspaper The Independent, Warner has already recouped $170 million of Man of Steel's vast $225 million production budget via product placements from big names, including Nokia (NOK 3.60%), which apparently has a phone with with a "super signal" feature. Whatever that means.
Nothing short of box-office disaster is going to keep Warner from earning a profit on Man of Steel, Tim says, which may help to explain why the studio is already fast-tracking a sequel.
The bad news? Smart marketing is no substitute for outstanding storytelling, and nothing drives box-office returns like a great story. The Avengers earned $1.5 billion at the global box office for Walt Disney (DIS -0.45%) because it is a well-told, character-driven story that delivered plenty of action along the way. Unfortunately for Time Warner stock investors, critics by and large don't believe Man of Steel delivers the same.
Do you agree? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take, and then let us know what you thought of Man of Steel and whether you would buy, sell, or short Time Warner stock at current prices.
