Comic-Con 2013 wasn’t a big year for movie news, all things considered. There were a couple of big announcements from Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. and a few noteworthy previews and teases between the other big panels, but this was not one of those years when Comic-Con blew everyone’s mind over and over again with unexpected revelations, casting revelations (where were you, Fantastic Four?) and fanboy sucker punches. What we learned from Comic-Con this year had less to do with the actual movies in store for us – although some of them look rather good – and more to do with how studios work with what they “do” have to show in Hall H, even if it’s next to nothing. Don’t have a trailer? Present an idea. Don’t have an idea with obvious market penetration? Present that idea more theatrically and then Bob, you are the target demographic’s uncle.
So with that in mind our retrospective this year is a bit more introspective, looking at the way that Hollywood treated the fans and handled all the various properties which may or may not be an easy sell to either those fans or more casual audiences. That, of course, will have a lot to do with our assessment of which studio “won” Comic-Con (as if such a thing really mattered), because everyone is talking about Hall H like it was a direct competition with gold, glittery stars stickered onto the victor. If we have to choose a winner – and apparently we do – then that winner is pretty obvious. Find out who won in Comic-Con 2013: Five Things We Learned About Movies.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
Comic-Con 2013: 5 Things We Learned About Movies
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5. Veronica Mars Will Always Be Veronica Mars
The Veronica Mars movie trailer proved that the movie is going to be just like the TV show: witty, endearing, and nearly impossible to market to anyone who doesn't already love the series. Fans were encouraged, and that's what Comic-Con is all about, but nobody else cares.
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4. Don't Treat Your Fans Like Investors
The announcement that Jose Padilha's RoboCop remake is rated PG-13 may be good news for the box office, but it's terrible news for anyone who cared enough about the R-rated original to wait in line for the panel in Hall H. Save that news story for Hollywood Reporter, and don't tell your #1 demographic to their faces that you've dulled the edges of a hardboiled sci-fi classic and then expect a reward.
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3. Everyone Wants to Like Amazing Spider-Man 2
If you loved The Amazing Spider-Man, you already can't wait for the sequel. If you hated The Amazing Spider-Man, this Comic-Con was for you. The promise of a lighter tone and a more "comic book" sensibility seems to indicate that they took your notes into consideration. Whether it's good or bad, at least they're trying to make a better movie this time. And that new costume looks really cool.
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2. Nobody Outside Hall H Cares About Ultron
Fans in Hall H went BONKERS when Marvel Studios announced The Avengers: Age of Ultron, surprising everyone who assumed that the post-credits teaser of The Avengers meant that Thanos would be the next villain. But mainstream audiences don't seem to know who Ultron is, so although they will almost certainly flock to the sequel, they aren't talking about Age of Ultron very much this week. Instead, all they know for sure is...
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1. THIS is How You Win Comic-Con
Marvel Studios had the showmanship, but if you weren't physically in Hall H when Loki took the stage, it really doesn't affect you much. Casual fans who stayed at home - the vast majority of the audience for all of these movies - only know what was announced. And the biggest announcement is that Batman and Superman are finally going to be on-screen, together, in a big budget summer spectacle. Online communities may complain that Warner Bros. is over-reliant on Batman and needs to give its other superheroes a fair shake, but most people seem to think that this team-up sounds really, really cool. In other words, it doesn't so much matter how you work the crowd so long as you capture the public's imagination. That's what Warner Bros. did last weekend, and whether the movie itself eventually rules or sucks out loud, they're the ones swimming in buzz.
