Warner Bros. skipped the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, but Marvel Studios was there with a huge presentation that saw them reveal much of their Phase 4 slate. However, the pandemic meant neither studio participated in 2020's "[email protected]," deciding to hold their own virtual events instead.
Warner Bros. went with the well-received DC FanDome, while Marvel Studios' slate was highlighted during Disney's impressive Investor Day. As a result, you probably won't be surprised to learn that they're both planning to give this year's virtual Comic-Con a miss as well. Last year's event drew little attention from the media and featured very few talking points.
There's still no word on whether Sony Pictures will take the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Venom: Let There Be Carnage to the event, but we wouldn't bank on it.
DC FanDome means Warner Bros. doesn't need to fork out a huge amount of money to attend Comic-Con either virtually or in person, and it really does feel like the days of massive Hall H panels are nearing an end. They could simply end up being a casualty of the pandemic, and if DC FanDome and Disney's Investor Day proved anything, it's that a Hall H panel isn't needed to build hype for a movie.
Given how hugely successful superhero movies have become in recent years, the days of having to create goodwill at events like Comic-Con with early sneak peeks do feel like a thing of the past, and a shift to online global events feels like a step in the right direction.
[email protected] takes place between July 23 - 25, while an in-person version takes place November 26 - 28. There's already been a lot of complaints about it taking that Thanksgiving weekend, with many journalists, studios, and talents said to be uninterested in spending the holidays at the event.
We'll let you know if Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. decide to attend.