Well, this was inevitable, wasn't it? Every single year, San Diego Comic-Con is the place to be for exclusive news, footage, and more from some of the hottest, geek-friendly projects on the horizon. If you want that first look at 'Batman v Superman' or the latest 'Avengers' movie? Comic-Con's Hall H is the place to be. And because of that exclusivity, it's also been the place of rampant piracy, despite the event doing its best to prevent it. The leaks got so bad last year that 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. threatened not to return, and now we know one of those studios has indeed pulled out.
The Wrap reports that Fox will not attend Comic-Con this July due to piracy concerns. They would have likely been there to promote Assassin's Creed, Alien: Covenant, Wolverine 3, and possibly even reveal some news on New Mutants or X-Force. See? This is why we can't have nice things. And contrary to what some claim, a movie like Assassin's Creed could use the buzz Comic-Con would have afforded it. You think there are a ton of casual moviegoers anxious for the video game adaptation? Not really.
A strong response at Comic-Con can drive momentum towards a film's release, like Mad Max: Fury Road experienced last summer. Or it can be murder, like the lukewarm response to Duncan Jones' Warcraft. That film hasn't been able to escape the negative stigma months later.
When you think about it, though, this is a very troubling move by Fox. Or at least it is for those of us who attend every single year and love the exclusives. Disney has been scaling back on their content there, saving most of it for the D23 Expo, and have experienced no ill effects. How'd that whole Star Wars: The Force Awakens thing do, anyway? Ohhhhhhh yeah. This could be just the beginning of all major studios bypassing Comic-Con entirely. Or, as some who never attend keep hoping, we could see a push towards Hall H presentations being offered online through a streaming service.
On the plus side, at least the line would be shorter?
