Marvel Studios has signed a five picture worldwide  distribution deal with Paramount Pictures, for its next five films.  Paramount will distribute these five films:

- Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010)

- Thor (July 16, 2010)

- The First Avenger:  Captain America (May 6, 2011)

- The Avengers (July 15, 2011)

The deal consolidates international distribution, which was previously handled by local distribution entities in some cases.

In a bit of a golden handshake, Marvel also announced today that Paramount had paid $60 million in early revenue from this year’s Iron Man; the payment hadn’t been expected until 2009.   The early payment caused Marvel to raise its film unit’s 2008 projection by that same $60 million, although it doesn’t change the long-term outlook for the revenues from Iron Man. 

The Iron Man DVD streets this week (see “Iron Man DVD Release Set”).