Just a little while ago, Fox announced that they’d be pulling out of San Diego Comic Con this year. This makes them the second studio, after Disney, who has opted out of the biggest con in the country. The reason that they’ve cited is that the technology of phones and devices has reached a point where it’s nearly impossible to prevent piracy of the footage from Hall H. The most notable cases of this in recent years were the leak of the sizzle reel from Suicide Squad and the supposed leak of the CG test roll footage of Deadpool (which actually ended up getting the movie greenlit after fans saw it online).
The Wrap is reporting that while Fox will have a presence at the con, they’ll be absent from Hall H. That means no panels for some pretty big movies like Michael Fassbender’s Assassin’s Creed, Wolverine 3, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, or Deadpool 2.
AS someone who’s been to some of these panels, I can see why it’s a bummer to fans, but it’s also a good thing. There is so much great stuff going on at Comic Con that people miss out on because they are waiting in line for 8 hours or more to see 30 seconds of footage.
Personally, however, I call BS. More than the piracy fears, I think that it’s just not proven to be a worthwhile expense. Comic Con is a great way to get the fans’ attention, but you can just as easily host a live panel and event via YouTube or Facebook now. News will spread just as fast. Also, they are seeing more and more that excitement in Hall H doesn’t translate to ticket sales. Think about Scott Pilgrim, or even Batman v Superman. If Hall H reaction was any indication, they should both have been much more profitable.