In Time Warner's (TWX) pantheon of DC Comics characters, none stand so tall as Superman and Batman. But what about Wonder Woman? The Amazon princess could out-earn Man of Steel if given a real chance by Warner executives, says Fool contributor Tim Beyers in the following video.
The right story would take advantage of the viewing public's fascination not only with Greek mythology but also powerful women. Look at The Hunger Games. Jennifer Lawrence's appeal as bow-wielding heroine Katniss Everdeen earned nearly $700 million at the worldwide box office for Lions Gate (LGF-A -1.55%). Three sequels are planned, including November's Catching Fire.
Greek myths haven't done as well, but there's clearly an audience to be found. Sam Worthington's portrayal of Perseus in Warner's remake of Clash of the Titans and sequel Wrath of the Titans has earned about $800 million worldwide on a $275 million two-film production budget.
Zack Snyder's 300, based on the Frank Miller-written graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae, earned $465 million for Warner on a much smaller budget: $65 million, according to Box Office Mojo. No one has more experience making profitable historical fantasy films than Warner, Tim says.
Woman Woman could be a great way to exploit this advantage, and doing so will become more important soon. Why? Time Warner plans a spinoff of Time by the end of this year. Earnings from great stories brought the big-screen won't be bogged down by magazine losses.
DC Comics is going to be an increasing source of new characters, Tim says, and none are so enticing or relevant as Wonder Woman. Do you agree? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take, and then leave a comment to let us know how you would use Time Warner's DC characters in film and TV production.
