Marvel, Paramount extend distribution deal

Marvel Studio has extended its film distribution deal with Paramount.

Under the agreement Paramount will distribute the next five Marvel movies: Iron Man 2 (due for release May 7, 2010), Thor (July 16, 2010), The First Avenger: Captain America (May 6, 2011), The Avengers (July 15, 2011) and Iron Man 3.

The first film released under the two firms' initial pact, Iron Man, pulled in $574 million (£322m) at the worldwide box office.

Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore said of the deal, which will see Marvel hand over 8% of its film grosses to the Hollywood studio: "Marvel's iconic brand, its popular characters and its proven ability to create compelling and visually spellbinding films complement Paramount's great history of filmmaking. We look forward to a long and successful run together."