I’ve been expecting this to happen the last few years, so chalk me up at not surprised at all.
The word on the street is that Warner Bros. will not host a big presentation at Comic-Con International San Diego next month.
Smart decision and good for them!
I know a lot of fans — and maybe even some members of the press — will think it’s a mistake, but it really isn’t.
Why?
Because Warner Bros. and other studios have figured out that they don’t need a big “Hall H” presentation at SDCC to market their films any longer, and you see more and more of them stop doing them.
When it comes to comic book movies, the genre is more popular than ever. So why spend all that money when everyone — everyone — that attends the convention is going to see the movies anyway? Plus, everything that takes place and is revealed — including video and trailers — is now instantly available online.
Also, by not having a SDCC presentation prevents uncomfortable situations such as the one back in July of 2017 when Ben Affleck had to play company man for business reasons and refute the stories that he was done as Batman (even though he was).
What I’d like to see Warner Bros./DC Comics do is have their own dadgum convention that celebrates all mediums of DC — comics, animation, film, video games, etc. Maybe Warner Bros. pulling out of SDCC (I’m sure DC will still have a presence there) will lead to something like that happening in the near future.
Now, THIS would be a con I’d happily attend annually because my SDCC days are over. Been there, experienced it (many times), and I’m done.
So, would you like to see Warner Bros./DC Comics start holding their own con/fan celebration? Post your thoughts in the comments section below! – Bill “Jett” Ramey