Comic-Con goes online – can Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron and Norman Reedus pull the crowds in for Comic-Com@Home?
- The annual convention in San Diego, California, normally attracts 135,000 attendees and a line-up of A-list celebrities and studios
- The convention will be free to attend, and organisers hope its greater accessibility will pull in large audiences
The staff of Comic-Con International knew it was coming, but that didn’t stop the tears.
In mid-April, San Diego’s prized event was called off because of Covid-19. It made sense, considering 135,000 attendees jammed into the Convention Centre gave it the potential to become an epic super-spreader event.
“We had to break the news to everybody that we wouldn’t have a show,” said Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer. “I will be very honest with you, there was some crying.”
But then something happened. Staff members started working on a plan to move the convention to an online-only format. And it turns out, a lot of movie studios, comic book companies and wacky pop culture groups were enthusiastic about the idea – and willing to work hard to make it happen.
