If you think the writers’ strike only hurt television and didn’t affect the movie industry, just ask Marvel Entertainment. Marvel is only slating one movie for 2009, instead of the two per year it would normally put out. (Currently in development: Ant-man, Captain America, Thor and The Avengers.) But even that one movie isn’t certain, execs told Wall Street analysts in a conference call on Marvel’s fourth-quarter 2007 earnings. Also, Marvel warned that the horrendous shape of the U.S. economy could hurt its (currently healthy) finances in 2008, but execs couldn’t point to any specific warning signs. If you see Spider-Man selling underoos off a sidewalk card table, you’ll know why. [Transcript]
