This year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the Mecca of all things geek, will be short on some of the key franchises that make fandom tick, WrapPRO is reporting, with major film studios, including Paramount Pictures (Smurfs, Star Trek), Sony (Ghostbusters, Spider-Man), Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm (Star Wars), Warner Bros. (DC), Legendary (Dune, Godzilla), and Lionsgate (John Wick) all skipping a film presence at the conference’s famed Hall H, the 6,500-seat venue that has traditionally served as a launchpad for major franchise announcements and the premiere of exclusive sneak peaks.
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| Nickelodeon's Comic-Con International: San Diego 2022 booth |
Multiple insiders who spoke to TheWrap said it simply comes down to timing and cost, but acknowledged the challenges that come with the event.
“I think it’s expensive to go and hard for movies to really pop there now and move the needle,” one top marketing exec told TheWrap. “It used to feel like a must.”
For their part, the organizers of Comic-Con are cognizant of the effort it takes to create a splashy presence at their show.
“While we hope every studio or network could attend every year, we know that can’t always be the case,” said David Glanzer, chief communications and strategy officer for San Diego Comic Convention. “And if there are some who can’t make it this year, we’ll be here in 2026 and eagerly await their return.”
Scheduling a slot at Comic-Con is delicate work and at least this year, the timing doesn’t match up. Studios, for instance, make Hall H commitments roughly six months in advance, according to a second marketing executive who spoke to TheWrap.
“For us, we always go by release date,” the executive said. “So we were like, ‘All right, we got a movie within a couple months after Comic-Con. Let’s see what we have, what makes sense.’”
The challenge is compounded when studios have films releasing close to Comic-Con dates, which explains why Smurfs is set to be a no-show, as the movie opens on Friday, July 18, the week before Comic-Con 2025.
“You don’t really want to do something with a movie opening a week or two in Hall H, because it’s like, I’ve seen so much of the campaign already,” the executive added. “There’s no surprise left.”
Then there are the financial considerations. A basic Hall H presentation featuring a filmmaker and two actors showing exclusive footage can run into “hundreds of thousands of dollars” when factoring talent fees, travel, accommodations and production expenses, according to one of the marketing executives.
For A-list talent, those costs escalate dramatically. “For the bigger stars, it gets really, really expensive,” the second marketing executive said, noting that hair, makeup, styling and first-class accommodations can push talent costs alone into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Costs and timing complications aside, the studios appear to be missing a chance to generate buzz in an exceptionally friendly environment. While most people have heard of San Diego Comic-Con, hardcore fans know Hall H as the true epicenter of fandom, with fans lining up for days (yes, days) to attend.
The modern era of Hall H began in 2007, when Marvel Studios Chief Kevin Feige and director Jon Favreau arrived with a surprise trailer for their upcoming Iron Man, heralding Robert Downey Jr.’s iconic performance as Tony Stark and setting into motion the foundation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hall H also played host to Tom Hiddleston’s memorable entrance as Loki in 2013, delivering his “Glorious Purpose” speech in full character; and the return of Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford in 2014 for a The Force Awakens panel. Last year, Marvel had fans inside the hall melting down after Downey Jr. unmasked himself as arch villain Doctor Doom for a pair of new Avengers movies (coming in 2026 and 2027).
Comic-Con won’t be completely devoid of studio offerings. Although Paramount is sitting out Hall H, there will be on site activations for the Liam Neeson comedy The Naked Gun, TheWrap.
It's also important to note that, although Paramount Pictures is expected to sit Comic-Con out this year, other Paramount-owned brands, including Nickelodeon and Paramount+, are expected to have presences at the con, with Nickelodeon announcing earlier this year plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Avatar: The Last Airbender with immersive fan experiences, exclusive consumer products and giveaways at the event.
For the ultimate fan event of the year, this is a long way from the heights of the original Star Wars trio getting back together or the Avengers assembling, and all eyes will be on whether this is a blip or a sign of Comic-Cons to come.
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Source: @HollywoodHandle; H/T: Special thanks to @KeydalisColo2 for the news!
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