The Success of Netflix
Netflix’s obsession with original programming is seemingly continuing to pay dividends, with the company recently announcing a 56% increase on annual profits and a global customer base of around 93.8 million. The streaming giant spent around $5 billion on original programming in 2016 alone on shows such as Stranger Things and The Crown and remains the market leader within in the streaming industry despite increased competition from companies such as HBO and Amazon Prime.
Has Netflix Missed a Trick With Hellboy?
Hellboy is rightly regarded as one of the hidden gems in the comic book world. Whilst the character is perhaps not one of the first names that crop up when mentioning the most prominent superheroes, this is simply due to the fact that Hellboy’s appearances on the big screen have been both understated and sporadic in nature and yet the franchise arguably still has one of the most hardcore fanbases of all the comic book characters. When considering the popularity that Hellboy already holds within the industry, you need to look no further than the indelible mark that the demonic superhero has left on the world of popular culture. Online fantasy and entertainment retailer Forbidden Planet has a wide variety of Hellboy merchandise including t-shirts, action figures and plush toys of the franchise’s favorite characters. Hellboy has also successfully dipped his toe into the gaming world, with a wide variety of console games available to play on various platforms as well as a popular themed slot game over at 32Red slots, where players must travel through a labyrinth of forgotten tunnels in a quest to reach the relic of power.
The Rising Popularity of Anything Comic Book Related
Nowadays, it’s virtually impossible to navigate through your Twitter feed without seeing word of another comic book-related property being developed into a television series or an online slot game such as the themed games at Slots Capital. With the recent announcement of a Hellboy reboot planned for a 2018 release in movie theaters, you could argue that Netflix may have missed the opportunity to snap the franchise up in order to create yet another original programming hit. On the surface of it, the demonic comic book hero’s complex back-story is extremely well suited to be made into a show in its own right and is arguably a more popular and well known figure than both Daredevil and The Flash, who have both enjoyed success after being made into television series for Netflix and The CW respectively. Daredevil in particular has proved to be one of Netflix’s real cash cows, with figures showing that approximately 4.4 million viewers tuned in to watch at least one episode of the series in only the first 11 days of the show’s release. When you consider that just over 2.5 million subscribers watched at least one episode of House of Cards following the release of season 3 at the same time, you start to get an idea of just how impressive those numbers really are. While Daredevil was arguably less known than Hellboy before Netflix picked up the franchise, fast forward a few years and Daredevil is everywhere – there are online games dedicated to the superhero over at casinobonusguy and what’s more, the blind superhero is now considered to be a torch bearer for the disabled movement – a group which is arguably underrepresented on television.
Netflix Know Best
Whilst it’s certainly possible to make the case for Netflix turning Hellboy into one of its vasty successful original TV series, the rising stock of the streaming platform is indicative of a company which knows exactly what it’s doing. With a wide array of Hellboy merchandise, online slot game available at 32Red and numerous other items relating to the demonic superhero, Hellboy already has one foot in the door in terms of popularity. After recently announced an all-star cast, including Stranger Things‘ very own David Harbour playing the titular role, the 2018 reboot looks set to have all the ingredients to be a box office success and Netflix may well be looking back at a missed opportunity in a years time. Nevertheless, one quick glance at the figures shows that Netflix is a company at the peak of its power and will already have many successful projects in the pipeline.
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