Comic-Con Crisis: Marvel, Netflix, Sony, HBO and Universal to Skip SDCC as Fest Faces Another Existential Threat
variety.comAdam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer Can San Diego Comic-Con catch a break? For two years, the biggest annual fan convention in North America was forced to cancel the five-day gathering due to the COVID-19 pandemic — placing Comic-Con International, the non-profit organization that runs SDCC, under unprecedented financial strain.
Last year, SDCC came roaring back with a masked-and-vaccinated convention that was a robust success, with blockbuster Hall H panels for the “Star Trek” TV universe, “House of the Dragon,” “The Walking Dead” and, especially, Marvel Studios.
This year’s Comic-Con — which is scheduled to start July 19, less than a month away — is increasingly likely to have none of those panels.
At least, that’s what studios across the industry are anticipating. If SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP cannot come to terms by the June 30 contract deadline and the guild goes on strike, actors will almost certainly join writers and showrunners in sitting out promotional events like Comic-Con, leaving studios with almost no one to populate panels in front of thousands of expectant fans.
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