Comic-Con might be screwed all over again
Disney, Netflix, Universal, and Sony have all now bailed on this year's San Diego Comic-Con, while other studios are still "wait and see" about attending
Aux News California
It’s been a hard couple of years for San Diego Comic-Con, the planet’s premiere event for standing very close to another person while you all stare at the same blurry trailer and Ryan Reynolds does schtick. The pandemic lockdowns, obviously, were disastrous for the convention, which was canceled in 2020 and 2021, before returning, to some reasonable acclaim, last year.
But, hey, here’s a riddle that could potentially impact one of the planet’s biggest nerd gatherings: What’s the point of holding a big fancy Comic-Con if all your big, fancy stars might be on strike by the time it rolls around? That’s the question haunting all the major studios this year, with the potential for a SAG-AFTRA strike causing Disney to basically say “screw it” and opt out of official panels at this year’s Con earlier this week. (So there’s Marvel and Star Wars gone, natch.) Additionally—per Variety—Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Netflix have all decided to dip out, too. (Netflix, for instance, just got all the buzz it needed from its own Tudum event last Saturday—so why risk trying to ship Chris Hemsworth off to San Diego?)
The only major studios still holding out some semblance of hope for the con are Paramount, which will be running a panel for its new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie (presumably because animation is easier to fudge with the whole “who needs big stars? issue), and possibly Warner Bros., which would really like to get some kind of fan win after a year of very tepid box office performance for its DC Films superhero properties—especially with two more such movies, Blue Beetle and Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom out later this year. Even that’s in “wait and see,” mode, because, again, there’s no real point in paying for Hall H if Jason Momoa’s too busy striking to come out and rev up the crowd.
All told, it’s a reminder of how vulnerable Comic-Con is to these kinds of forces, as it’s increasingly shifted to being a promotional tool for movie studios that may or may not be in the mood to promote. (See also the disastrous fate that befell video game con E3 in recent years, as the pandemic taught game companies they didn’t really need all that expensive panel space to get people hyped for what’s essentially a glorified trailer roll.) TV will still be at San Diego this year, sort of—Amazon’s trotting some stuff out for The Boys, and its ongoing efforts to remind people that a Wheel Of Time TV show exists—but the film offerings are going to be pretty tepid all around
Maybe someone will do a panel about comic books? Novel, but it just might work.
43 Comments
I care so little about Comic-Con that I’m going to post a comment about it!
You actually could care less!
I care so little about your non-caring comment that I’m going to reply to it!
I’ve never even heard of Comic-Con!
This sounds crazy, but once upon a time, Comic-Con was not a movie/television trailer delivery mechanism, but a place to meet comic creators, buy comics and nerd schwag and similar stuff.
None of that is impacted by either a writers or actors strike.
Not to mention that everyone going bought their tickets/booked and prepaid everything months ago so the convention itself will be just fine.
Whatever, Grampa. It isn’t the 1920s anymore, we have moving pictures now.
You whippersnapper! I’ve only been to the Con once, many years ago. A friend and I just decided, on the day. We just showed up, paid our $12(?) to get in, and spent a few hours walking around to the booths. Those were the days… now it’s like trying to get tickets on the Space Shuttle.
Yes, but you don’t have onions on your belts, which was the style at the time.
Whatever, Grampa. It isn’t the 1920s anymore, we have moving pictures now.I was willing to let those moving pictures slide, but then you all had to put sound in them – and COLOR! This world is going to hell in handbasket and you kids don’t give a fig. It ain’t right…it just ain’t right.
Ah yes back when monthly comic books actually sold.
This is funny because it’s true that the event has been taken over in part by studios, but also the little nerd schwag line sounds so innocuous until you realize it’s the other major thing happening at the con. You go these days and you’ll just see lines that lead to other lines that lead to lottery ticket systems of which the winners get the chance to go stand in line… so they can buy a neon colors version of an April O’Neil “Ready for Christmas” Funko Pop for 300 bucks.
If the writers strike goes on long enough and the actors strike happens, you might have famous actors and writer (who don’t normally do that sort of thing) showing up at these types of cons as themselves for Q&A events and autograph/photo sessions. I know from reading Bruce Campbell’s various books that that you can make pretty good money over a weekend at one of those events. Imagine if someone on the level of like Tom Hiddleston or John Oliver showed up at one of those.
Actors and writers taking audience questions about, you know, whatever, would inevitably look a lot like actors and writers promoting their shows, which would be frowned upon if not actually against union rules. Might be easier to pull off if he they were there specifically to promote books or something else unrelated to film or TV.
Why would they have to be promoting their shows? I am not sure how a q&a session about your life would be promoting one specific thing. And a meet and greet session surely wouldn’t. During the last writers strike a bunch of actors and writers did live stage shows and that didn’t seem to violate any union rules.
I’m actually on a panel at SDCC this year with a union actor. We’re there to promote various books, but Felicia Day is one of the panelists as well. I assume she’ll be able to be there either way as a result of being there as an author, but we’ll see. Oh lord, I just realized what it’s gonna look like if she bails for strike reasons and it’s just us schmoes that weren’t on MST3K left.
If things get bad, just pull a Dermot Mulroney and walk off in solidarity.
That could be it, System. Your big chance.No else turns up, you grab that microphone, stand up straight, and hit ‘em with that free-form beat poetry you’ve been working up the gumption to perform in front of a live audience.
Whe else would they be there, except in the context of having acted (and planning to continue doing so) in comic book movies? I agree they likely wouldn’t be explicitly crossing any lines, but expect a lot of other actors (and certainly writers) would bristle at them promoting themselves while others are striking for better economic participations in the evolving content distribution system.
It would still *look* bad. Even if they weren’t breaking any rules per se, the optics of very famous writers and actors making a quick buck at a convention isn’t going to look good when you’re meant to be on strike.
Why would it look bad? It’s a strike against certain companies (which I am currently participating in as a member of the WGA), not a rebellion against the concept of earning money.
Because the people who would be making money from con appearances would be those companies (from promotion of the shows/movies) and actors already getting the highest pay days. So while Jason Momoa cashes a $200k check for showing up at Comic Con, the small time actor just trying to put food on the table can’t take any work in the industry and isn’t being offered a pay day.It would not be a good look for the actors conventions would be seeking out.
Exactly. They can still do show panels and talk about the show and themselves, field audience questions (no matter how cringe that always turns out to be), signings, etc. They’re not really allowed to talk much about an upcoming season and always skirt around any type of spoilers. Fans will go see their favorite actors, no matter what. It’s still publicity for them and their shows. Reunion panels are big. Bring in the casts of cancelled shows.
Retired wrestlers make their money doing cons and signings, charging $20+ per pic.
You might have in the strike was announced in January. Now everything is mostly set and they’ve already published the event schedules and stuff, even for stuff like signing (which would never happen anyway, that’s definitely strike breaking). There isn’t gonna be time for a bunch of “Seth Rogen on his favorite episodes of The Toxic Crusaders And No TMNT Questions Please” panels to be set up, let alone room space to hold them in.
That’s basically what John Barrowman does. Shows up, answers questions and charges $50 for a signed picture. Don’t know if he is showing up this year.
In one of his books Bruce Campbell talks about how showing up at horror and comic conventions is super easy money over a weekend. Plus he has said if you are like a headliner celebrity the convention usually pays for your travel and accommodation.
There was a good article a few years ago about how the bigger names can clear over half a million for 2 days signing. Nice work if you can get it.
Bruce Campbell could do whatever he wanted for a panel at Comic Con and when he came out people would act like it was the Second Coming, myself included
I used to work for Supernatural Conventions and the three main actors make about $150k per weekend. So yes, that is absolutely possible, but big name actors and writers who are members of guilds on strike would be discouraged from participating while their less famous counterparts struggle through a strike.
Sounds like people will have to read and buy some comics instead.
“What’s the point if I can’t sell them later for a zillion dollars?” —the average person
They’ll have to do it elsewhere, no comic book shops have been able to afford booth space for a few years now.
You can still buy em from the creators and publishers! See ya there!
I’m local, and I don’t go for any of that anyhow, I mostly go for Artists Alley and a smaller panel or 2. Hall H is overrated, I’ll be able to see whatever the trailers are same day on Youtube anyhow without killing my feet.
The Jack Kirby panels Evanier does are a lot of fun.
This might actually be a reason for me to go.
You mightn’t even have to smear Vicks Vaporub under your nose!
God forbid the Comic Convention can still be a Comic Convention.
Are William Hughes and Sam Barsanti the same person?
“Oh no, Comic-Con will be nothing but back issue dealers and comic book artists…sounds wonderful.”
“Netflix, for instance, just got all the buzz it needed from its own Tudum event last Saturday…” I literally had no idea this had occurred. So, maybe not?
Paramount, who just wiped four shows of the map (including the truly wonderful Star Trek Prodigy) for tax purpose, and whose entire executive staff can go fuck themselves.