While Cowboys and Aliens will make its debut at the San Diego Comic Con later this summer, it may be one of the only high profile movie projects or studios that has a presence at the convention.
According to the New York Times, several studios are considering taking a pass on ComicCon this summer.
Warner, Disney, Dreamworks and Marvel are all sitting out the annual convention this summer. The studios say that while there’s a potential to create buzz for your film, there’s also a chance a negative buzz can develop out of the ComicCon crowd.
“It’s a red-letter opportunity, but you shouldn’t go simply because it sits there on the calendar,” said Michael Moses, co-president of marketing for Universal Pictures. “You have to be absolutely certain you have goods ready that can really make a difference for your film.”
Even a joyous reaction at Comic-Con, which takes place in San Diego from July 21 to 24, can skew expectations, as a platoon of studios learned last year, if hard-core enthusiasm doesn’t spill into the mainstream.
Warner got huge buzz for Sucker Punch, only to see the film die quickly at the box-office. And while Tron: Legacy had a huge buzz, it didn’t translate into the hit that Disney hoped.
And last year’s big buzz film Scott Pilgrim vs the World didn’t turn out quite as profitable as Universal expected based on reaction by the ComicCon crowd. The studio spent heavily to make it so, draping the entire side of a skyscraper with an ad, for instance. Released just three weeks after the convention, it fizzled and the $60 million movie sold just $32 million in tickets.
Comic-Con, which attracts about 130,000 people, usually doesn’t lock in its schedule of presentations until two weeks before the convention — a practice that keeps studio publicists on edge, as they struggle to wrangle stars for appearances in slots that remain at a premium.
David Glanzer, the convention’s director of marketing, said he didn’t detect any major shift in the film industry’s stance toward Comic-Con.
“We get more and more requests, and have less ability to fulfill them,” he said, adding, “Not every studio comes every year.”
Twentieth Century Fox is expected to tackle Comic-Con head-on, particularly with its Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which arrives in theaters on Aug. 5. And Sony will roll out an aggressive promotion for its The Amazing Spiderman, even though the film won’t be seen until July 2012.
The industry has also realized that Comic-Con’s timing, in late July, is actually friendlier to TV shows, which are getting revved up for fall debuts.
Fox plans to increase its Comic-Con footprint, mounting promotions for at least 10 series, including Terra Nova. Warner’s Digital operation is planning to promote several original Web series, including Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and Warner’s TV division wouldn’t mind stealing the show.
“We’re certainly hoping to,” said Lisa Gregorian, chief marketing officer for the Warner Brothers Television Group, which plans to promote as many as 16 shows.
I really wanted Fright Night to have a presence there. Now it may not? Disaapointed.
Maybe the buzz that is given off at Comic Con is not truly reflective of how the general population may receive a film. The industry might have to/for look for different indicators.
So basically the studios are blaming a niche crowd that attends Comic Con for failure at the box office?
I can’t blame the studios for skipping Comic-Con, it simply hasn’t translated well in terms of box office. Both Scott Pilgrim and Sucker Punch bombed at the box office, and Tron: Legacy did good, but not great. It isn’t worth their money.