Movies based on video games sell

By Victor Godinez

Published: July 11, 2008

Why do movie studios continue to insist on making movies based on video games? Probably because there's more money in it than you might think.

Last month came word that Len Wiseman ("Live Free or Die Hard”) has been tapped to direct a film version of "Gears of War.” Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribbean”) is helming the movie adaptation of "BioShock.” For every "Double Dragon” ($2.3 million U.S. box office gross), there's a "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” ($131 million U.S. box office plus $62.8 million in U.S. video rentals).

According to the box office tracking site boxoffice

mojo.com, each of the three "Resident Evil” movies grossed more than $100 million in worldwide box office, not counting video rentals, sales and other revenue. Of course, that just makes it all the more inexplicable that the most successful cinematic games have yet to hit the big screen.

Peter Jackson was at one time working on a "Halo” movie that was to be directed by Neill Blomkamp.

That project ran into a landmine when Microsoft's financial demands were apparently too steep for any studio to stomach, and the movie has essentially been canceled.

"Metal Gear Solid” would also seem to be a no-brainer movie, as "MGS4” is as much movie as game, and everybody loves it. But an "MGS” movie has been stuck in development for years.

— McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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