Is this a turning point for Comic-Con in San Diego? Major studios pull out, actors strike looms

SAN DIEGO — There will be a big absence at Comic-Con International this year and, chances are, star power might face an Avengers-level crisis.

Marvel Studios, the convention’s biggest attention-grabber every year, has said it is not coming to San Diego. It leaves a big hole in the lineup, along with a few other studios that said they are staying away.

Another complication: The actors guild could go on strike soon, which would prevent stars from appearing on panels for upcoming blockbusters. Writers, who have been on strike since May, will be missing.

For the average San Diegan who doesn’t go to the convention, it might be hard to tell if anything is different. There will still be promotional wraps of buildings downtown, a bunch of free installations outside and more than 135,000 people jamming into restaurants, Airbnbs and hotels.

Carl Winston, founding director of the Payne School of Hospitality &Tourism Management at San Diego State University, said it’s important to remember Comic-Con takes place in July when the hospitality industry doesn’t necessarily need help attracting tourists.

He said it’s unlikely the tourism industry will notice any change, and it would be odd if attendees suddenly had a change of heart about the convention. Winston said the appeal of the event goes beyond Hollywood, which has embraced the convention as a place to promote movies and TV shows.

“The draw is almost tribal,” he said of attendees who rapidly buy up badges in hours.

Winston said there’s always the concern something could go wrong with Comic-Con, considering other cities would ingest Kryptonite for the chance to host the pop culture juggernaut. But he said he doesn’t see recent events as a reason to worry.

“It’s the granddaddy of (comic conventions). It’s almost in our DNA as San Diegans,” he said. “In my opinion, I can’t imagine it going anywhere. It took us several decades to build up that fantastic reputation, and I don’t think it’ll die because a super studio like Marvel says, ‘No thank you’ this year.”

Headlines in Hollywood publications haven’t been great. Variety referred to Marvel and others staying away as “Comic-Con Crisis” and U.K. film blog Flickering Myth called it “Comic-Con 2023 in shambles.” There are real concerns for the future of the convention: Space constraints, effects from two years of online-only events during the pandemic and other pop culture brands, like “Star Wars,” holding their own conventions. Yet people on the ground aren’t seeing a crisis.

Manchester Grand Hyatt General Manager Daniel Kuperschmid said he has yet to see any room cancellations because of changes in the studio lineup at Comic-Con. At 1,628 rooms, the Hyatt is San Diego County’s single biggest hotel.

“It would be a shock to me,” if Comic-Con somehow collapsed, he said. “There are loyal fans and Comic-Con as a brand is really impressive. At the moment, I’m not seeing cancellations.”

Comic book super-fan Taimur Dar, who writes for comics culture publication The Beat, said he can’t imagine fans not going because of studio cancellations. Dar figures he’s been to more than 100 conventions and says the event is about more than just seeing actors or big studio announcements.

“It’s almost like summer camp. It’s people you haven’t seen in a while coming together from across the country,” he said. “There’s that communal aspect of it that’s a huge draw.”

Outside of Marvel, these are other studios not attending:

— Disney-owned Lucasfilm, which hasn’t held a Comic-Con panel for a decade, said it isn’t going — although they often have a presence on the convention floor.

Last year, they had a large display of costumes used in “Star Wars” TV shows.

— Sony Pictures, which has its own Spider-Man universe of movies, is skipping Comic-Con. It has a movie coming out in the fall called “Kraven the Hunter” about a Spider-Man villain.

— Universal Pictures will keep away but typically has a smaller role, if any, at the convention.

— Netflix is also skipping the event, despite having a new season of “The Witcher” coming out.

— HBO is skipping but it’s a tad confusing. Its streaming service, Max, intends on being there so it’s unclear what shows might be promoted. HBO built a castle last year in downtown San Diego to promote its new “Game of Thrones” show.