Studios conjure up magic, superheroes in battle for Comic-Con fans
LOS ANGELES—A slew of superheroes, magic and King Arthur were just some of the bait that movie studios used to entice fans at this year’s recently concluded San Diego Comic Convention, where Warner Bros.’ DC Comics franchise went head-to-head with Disney’s Marvel Universe.
The four-day event, which has become an increasingly important tool for Hollywood to generate interest in upcoming movies, kicked off on Thursday. It included panels and activities hosted by studios and television networks for the 100,000-plus audience comprising comic book, film and TV fans.
Dreamworks’ “Trolls,” Oliver Stone’s “Snowden” and sci-fi adventure “Valerian” put celebrity panels, while Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg hosted a screening party for their R-rated animated “Sausage Party.”
Warner Bros. showcased its coming films recently, and Marvel closed out the day with various announcements.
Anthony Breznican, Entertainment Weekly senior writer, said in an interview that Warner Bros. has some work to do after the criticism around March’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
“[Warner Bros.] has to win over the people about the rest of this universe going forward,” Breznican said. “Marvel just has to maintain, they have cruise control on, but of course that doesn’t mean they can slow down.”
Disney kept its lineup under wraps, and later revealed news about “Guardians of the Galaxy 2,” “Captain Marvel” and the Benedict Cumberbatch-starrer “Doctor Strange.”
Alongside “Wonder Woman,” “Suicide Squad” and Guy Ritchie’s new “King Arthur” film, Warner Bros. threw in a dose of magic with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the first spin-off from the “Harry Potter” franchise.
“To be in a room full of people who genuinely put so much of their time and attention into following what happens in these various worlds —whether it’s Marvel or ‘Potter’—it’s primarily why we make movies,” said the film’s director, David Yates.
“Fantastic Beasts,” due out in November, is set in the greater Harry Potter world but features new characters. Fans were shown a trailer with previously unseen footage.
Yates attended Comic-Con for the first time alongside cast members including Eddie Redmayne.
Charlie Hunnam, who plays the title role in “King Arthur,” said he hoped the film would engage the convention’s “wellversed” movie fans.
“Nobody really knows what we’re doing so there’ll be a little more emphasis on education for what we’ve gone out to achieve,” Hunnam said.