Hollywood Fears GTA IV Could 'Kill' Iron Man (XB360)

Last month we reported on comments from Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey, who said that Rockstar Games' GTA IV launch could be so huge that it could actually dent the box office release of Marvel's Iron Man, which hits theaters this Friday (May 2). Now, according to the Financial Times, more fuel has been thrown on the fire as EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello (whose $2 billion bid for Take-Two has continually been rejected) commented that Hollywood is actually fearful about the impact of GTA IV.

He told the publication that more and more movie executives have told him that they fear the game could "kill" Iron Man. "I don't think I've ever heard of that before," he said. "There's a big reset happening now."

Not everyone shares this sentiment, however. Iron Man is fairly low on the comic book totem poll compared to other characters such as Spider-Man or the X-Men, but many have high hopes for the theatrical release anyway. Furthermore, some think GTA IV's release could actually help, not hurt, the movie. "The forecasts range [from] $50m to $100m for its opening weekend," said Paul Dergarabedian, chief executive of Media by Numbers, which tracks the box office performance of films. He added that "gamers buying GTA IV are going to be talking about the game and they're going to be talking about the movies and the movie they will be talking about is Iron Man."

So how does Marvel feel about the impact of GTA IV? Geoff Ammer, president of worldwide marketing and home entertainment for Marvel Studios, said he appreciates EA's "enthusiasm" but he doesn't believe one property will necessarily hurt the other. "The two properties can co-exist in the marketplace," he said. "We believe that moviegoers will make going to see Iron Man part of their weekend plans."