It’s all worth keeping in mind, particularly if you were planning on making the pilgrimage this year with an eye towards interacting with like-minded individuals and sharing in the revelry of announcements about favorite projects.
You thus may need to adjust expectations if you’re planning to be there this year, with several notable franchises alleged to be notably absent.
The Wrap reports that a series of disappointments and flops have the studios reconsidering promoting certain films at Comic-Con; in recent years considered the Mecca for the comic/geek crowd seeking every morsel possible on upcoming genre projects of all description.
According to the site:
Last year, Edgar Wright‘s “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” was met with widespread geek acclaim only for the Universal film to sputter at the box office (though to be fair, the marketing for that film did little to embrace anybody outside the core of fans). “Sucker Punch” got major buzz and died on the vine this past spring, while “Tron: Legacy” played modestly despite nerds flipping for footage that Disney teased as early as 2008 (though yes, it has done enough to convince the studio get a sequel moving). And both “Skyline” and “Let Me In” faltered when they hit screens later in the year, after doing the San Diego Comic-Con rounds.
So several major players are staying home. The New York Times reports that Warner Bros, Marvel, DreamWorks, Disney and The Weinstein Company will stay home this year, and rely solely on traditional marketing campaigns for their big 2012 films, without the early buzz afforded by Comic-Con.
So ostensibly there will be some glaring omissions in SDCC’s July lineup, chiefly both Warner Bros’ The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel, neither of which has seen the studio book tickets. Not that Nolan has ever played to the Comic-Con crowd, of course, but his studio minders typically have in years gone by.
Perhaps even more stupefyingly, The Times also reports that Marvel is not making any promises about unveiling Avengers info at Comic-Con this year, surprising, given that last year they unveiled the entire cast of the superhero ensemble at SDCC. Nor are they promising info about any new projects. Says The Times, they’re currently “on the fence.”
It might be short-sighted. Much has been made in recent years about the swelling size of Comic-Con, and that it’s increasing popularity year-after-year was overtaxing the San Diego Convention Center, necessitating either the use of additional facilities, or a move to the larger Los Angeles Convention Center. Moreover, San Diego Comic-Con — while an established brand — is no longer a comics convention anymore (if you’ve seen the actual comics section in the pavilion, it’s dwarfed by the film and television and merchandizing contingents), it’s really a pop culture convention. Perhaps it should be renamed Pop Culture Con.
Our view is that studios stay away at their own peril…and will likely be back in force over the next few years. Blockbuster successes ebb and flow, after all, and have much more to do with the quality of the movie than how it’s marketed.
So who will be at SDCC this year. If you’re going, you can still look forward to Cowboys & Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 and more.
Many other projects are in the works, too, and The Wrap speculates that early peeks or info could be forthcoming for the Alien prequel, Prometheus, along with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Wolverine, Men In Black III, Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, Total Recall and ‘Bond 23′.
Plus, expect the major and cable networks to be there promoting all manner of genre series, from AMC’sThe Walking Dead to The CW’s enduring Supernatural. More information, as it becomes available, can be found at SDCC’s official website.
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