Seems everyone’s been thrown into a tizzy over the NY Times article about a few studios cutting back their presence at this year’s upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, which at the very least might hint at Hollywood losing confidence in the con’s status as the go-to destination to show off their goodies and at the very most heralds the end of Comic-Con as we currently know it. Don’t believe any of it.
Okay, yes, the studios have become a little gun shy after pulling out all the stops to promote movies like Scott Pilgrim vs the World (LOVED IT, by the way) only to find that the only people who went to it were the people at Comic-Con (hey, at least that’s SOMETHING!). Studios who expect record box office numbers just because they hoped 100,000 fanboys who got free t-shirts and bread sticks would recommend the movie to their friends are just fooling themselves. The people who were going to see Scott Pilgrim were never on the fence about it. And odds are good that it was never going to move outside of its targeted (and yet coveted) 18-25 demographic. Not everyone is 18 to 25 years old. There’s a lot of people who just aren’t interested in seeing an alt-rock nerd love story wrapped in video game graphics and 8-bit in-jokes. By coming to Comic-Con, Universal spent money promoting the movie to people who were already going to see it and that’s fine. Most studios do it for the good will buzz and the big headlines, both of which can translate into profit down the line (they don’t give out free swag because they love you). I’m not saying that they shouldn’t have had a presence at the show, but maybe they didn’t have to go as big as they did. Of course, if they were going to go big anywhere, you go big at San Diego Comic-Con (it’s a given). So is the fact that some studios might be more careful with their money an indictment that SDCC is past its prime and the big money folks that made Comic-Con so huge are abandoning ship? Hardly.
But what about the rumor that Marvel wasn’t going to Comic-Con this year, even though they have their Nexus of All Franchises movie, the Avengers, coming out next May? Don’t believe it. The only thing that kept Marvel from having a presence at Comic-Cons past was the fact that they were fighting bankruptcy. They are far from that now (they’re owned by Disney). So far, in fact, that if they actually would forgo having a panel in Hall H, it would only mean that they’d be doing something bigger elsewhere. Can YOU think of a place nearby that might be BIGGER than the 6500 person capacity Hall H? I can.
Of course, this is all speculation on my part, but considering that Captain America: the First Avenger hits theaters the same weekend as San Diego Comic-Con (coincidence? I doubt it.), you’d think that there would be a little more than “nothing” coming from Marvel at the biggest comic convention in the world. Plus, add to it the fact that Avengers director Joss Whedon is more than a little involved with a little documentary ABOUT San Diego Comic-Con that was shot last year at the Big Show and will make its debut this year, there is very little that makes me believe that he’ll be spending that weekend at home with his family or shooting B-roll on a studio lot. After all of this rumor-mongering, it convinces me that something is up and that they’re working on something that will create a bigger buzz than ever. Now I would honestly be surprised if Marvel took the usual spot at the end of Saturday’s Hall H panel schedule again. If anything, after last year’s surprise appearance by the cast, they almost have to go bigger. As I said in a message I sent out on Twitter and Facebook last night, if I was running Marvel/Disney, I would take over Petco Park on Thursday night (at sunset), set up a gigantic screen with a stage and mega sound system, and then invite a couple thousand people, maybe 2 or 3 times the crowd in Hall H to sit on the field and watch Captain America in 3D, followed by a very special, but brief, Avengers panel (or maybe have it beforehand). They could do it for free or they could charge admission (maybe give some of the $ to charity?) and it would still fill up completely without a doubt (throw in an Avengers t-shirt and I’m all yours!). You want buzz for your film(s)? Don’t limit your audience to 6500 people who stood in line for 5-12 hours. Yes, there is a way that Comic-Con can get bigger. And, sure, there would be an all-day line for the screening/panel if the secret got out, but that’s expected. All I’m saying is that the Padres are always out of town the week of Comic-Con. It’s a shame that all that space is going to waste. If nothing else, Jon Favreau should be holding a Cowboys & Aliens screening there another night of the week, complete with pony rides for the kiddies. But that’s just me being speculative again. I’m just throwing out what I’d like to see…
Some fear that Comic-Con could lose its super-amazing must-see uniqueness if Hollywood starts backing away out of fear. Others would welcome it. I say, don’t worry about it. Even if Hollywood gets more careful about what they bring to the Big Show (and they should… Did ABC bring the Middle a few years back just because Patricia Heaton wore a cape and tights in the pilot or did they put her character in a cape and tights because they wanted to show it at Comic-Con? The mind boggles…), it’s never going to roll back to 1990s levels, as much as the “Comics Only” crowds wish it would. There’s no going back to the Comic-Con of old unless San Diego sinks into the sea and/or they move it to another city. Not sure which option would be worse.
So is Comic-Con in danger of getting smaller? As scary as it sounds to many of you, the answer is “no”. There will always be someone willing to fill the void left by others. And since many studio executives know that fact as well as anybody and they tend to abhor not being the center of attention, there’s a good chance they won’t stay away for long. Also, with news that Hall H may host panels on Sunday for the first time ever (the Buffy musical, “Once More With Feeling,” will close out the week), that space to fill has only gotten bigger, meaning that there will be more panel slots than ever and plenty of properties to fill them.
By the way, if any studios want to hire me on as an Idea Man that knows how geeks think, give me a call.
Remember: this post is all speculation and opinion. I and the Unauthorized San Diego Comic-Con Survival Guide have no connections to Universal, Marvel, Disney, Comic-Con, or any other studio or organization that might be able to confirm or deny the ideas contained within this article. But they do sound pretty good, right?
No Comments