Universal has the bat in its hand but has been reluctant to step out of the dugout for nine years. With two strikes against it, it’s easy to project that a third version would go down swinging.
The 2003 version was at best a break-even proposition for Universal with just $245 million in global box office against a $137 million budget, and the 2008 re-boot was by far the worst performer of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe pictures, with a $263 million worldwide theatrical gross on a $150 million budget. Yes, I realize there have been two Hulk movies in the past 15 years-the 2003 Ang Lee-directed, Eric Bana-starring Hulk, and the 2008 Louis Leterrier-Edward Norton The Incredible Hulk-and that both failed commercially.
