A year after a Hollywood onslaught at Comic-Con International, more than one big studio has decided to take a break.

In a new era of Hollywood belt-tightening, many experts say the expense of Comic-Con might not be worth it, especially as production of new projects has slowed. The big superhero film producers, DC Studios and Marvel Studios, have both reduced their output — emphasizing quality over quantity after a few box-office duds — so they also don’t have as much to show off.

There are still big projects taking over Comic-Con’s biggest space, the 6,500-seat Hall H: a new “Predator” movie, several “Star Trek” and “The Walking Dead” shows, DC Studios’ “Peacemaker” show and the new “Tron” movie. Hollywood stars will also be there, like actor Ryan Gosling and “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, for his first-ever appearance at the event.

Besides Hollywood, everything else is bigger. Advertising efforts are through the roof with San Diego Trolley wraps selling out, a near record number of building wraps splashed all over the Gaslamp Quarter, and the studios are spending thousands, if not more, on free activations throughout downtown.

“Comic-Con is cyclical,” said Heidi MacDonald, editor of the comic book news website The Beat, about a slower year. “I don’t think it has anything to do with Comic-Con, it’s just a reflection of the mindset of Hollywood itself.”

She has been a moderator at big panels and seen firsthand how much money and effort goes into it, likely something on the minds of studio executives this year. MacDonald said expenses include airfare for actors, drivers, makeup and hair, audio/visual equipment, hotel stays, and, in what my be surprising to attendees, hours of rehearsal before the panels.

Hollywood production was down 22% in the first quarter compared with last year, said the industry-run nonprofit FilmLA. Global production is in decline, not just in California, but the situation prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a $750 million tax credit in July for TV and films made in the Golden State.

Even if “Game of Thrones” and “The Avengers” don’t show up it doesn’t change the fact that the event sold out instantly. The latest estimates say the four-day event has a $160 million impact on the region. For context, that’s more than the San Diego Chargers brought to the region — $126 million, according to a 2016 city study — in a single year.

Over the past decade, star power at Comic-Con has ebbed and flowed and, in hindsight, sometimes its success or failure might have been a bit overblown. One publication declared the event “in shambles” in 2023 after studios pulled out during writer and actor strikes. One year later, Marvel Studios and others came roaring back into Hall H.

Still, it’s hard not to admit things are a bit slower in comparison to banner years. Both Marvel and Warner Bros. (producers of DC films at the time) took over Hall H on the same day in 2016. Marvel sent fandom into a frenzy with a full slate of films and the biggest names came on stage, such as “Benedict Cumberbatch.” Warner Bros. got even more press, debuting the full cast of the “Justice League” movie, including Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot.

“Marvel (Studios) not being there in a big way is like Coca-Cola deciding not to advertise during the Super Bowl,” said Carl Winston, founding director of the Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at San Diego State University.

While it’s true Marvel’s output has slowed, it is still the biggest thing in comic book movies and TV. It has a major film, “The Fantastic 4: First Steps” coming out during Comic-Con weekend, an animated “Black Panther” show coming out in August, the “Marvel Zombies” show in October and “Wonder Man” show in December. It also has new “Avengers” and “Spider-Man” films opening next year. (It should be noted Marvel is owned by Disney, which is a big presence at the event with other franchises.)

The Hollywood Reporter, citing anonymous sources, said that the unofficial ethos of Marvel Studios is “go big or stay home” and the thinking this year was it didn’t have enough to justify a Hall H appearance. Throughout its more than 20-year history, it has skipped Comic-Con a handful of times, only to come back with a huge splash the next year.

This could be an opportunity for Marvel’s traditional rival, DC, which just rebooted its film universe with “Superman” this month, MacDonald said.

DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, who wrote and directed “Superman,” will be at the convention to promote the second season of the new universe’s “Peacemaker” show. Experts expect it to be a bit of a de facto DC Studios panel and a victory lap for Gunn after the box-office success of “Superman.”

MacDonald said she was shocked there wasn’t a dedicated DC Studios panel after all the “Superman” buzz. Yet she said “Peacemaker” might serve as a sort of under-the-radar panel for the full studio and there could be some surprises.

David Glanzer, chief communications and strategy officer for Comic-Con, said they weren’t sweating a more subdued showing from movie studios.

“Do I think this is a trend? I don’t think so and certainly hope not,” he said.

Comic-Con doesn’t pay studios to show up, so it’s not like they are feeling any sort of financial strain. The nonprofit’s financial stability is stronger after a two rough years during the pandemic when it went online-only. It had $17.3 million in net assets at the end of 2023, said its most-recent tax returns, up from $12.4 million the previous year.

Glanzer said big studio panels get the most attention from entertainment publications but that is very different from the actual convention attendee experience, with thousands of hours of programming. In general, Comic-Con has never been bigger, even if HBO, Apple TV+ and others didn’t show up this year.

Whatever studios decide for inside the convention, it doesn’t change that the outside of Comic-Con is bigger than ever. To promote the new “Alien” show, Disney-owned FX will be building the wreckage of a spaceship in front of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Hulu (also owned by Disney) will build the world from “King of the Hill” in the Bayfront parking lot, and Peacock is constructing a bumper car ride for its show “Twisted Metal” in the parking lot next to San Diego Children’s Park.

Winston said the uniqueness of Comic-Con is what keeps advertisers and the community so involved in upping the scale. He said it wasn’t necessarily some San Diego planner’s master stroke, just that the event spilling out into downtown — out of necessity because it outgrew the convention center — is one of the most authentic experiences for a fan.

“We’re all tired of Denny’s and want to go to that local coffee shop with a cool vibe,” he said. “I think the people who visit Comic-Con crave authenticity. You can’t get this in a big-box (Las) Vegas hotel. San Diegans, inadvertently or on purpose, created this really cool, authentic experience.”

What to expect

“Star Wars” creator George Lucas will take the Comic-Con stage for the first time on July 27. His panel will likely get some of the most media attention, but fans might want to be cautious about what to expect.

Lucas has said very little about his opinion on new Star Wars shows and movies since selling Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion in 2012. No doubt the fan dream would be for Lucas to spend 10 hours on stage discussing his thoughts on each Disney project, answer burning questions about force-related things and explain his plots for unmade films. Yet that isn’t what’s on the menu.

Lucas’ one-hour panel will be focused on his new museum in Los Angeles, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. He will be joined by director Guillermo del Toro and singer Queen Latifah, so it probably won’t leave much time for him to discuss Star Wars, if at all.

Other big panels over the weekend will be “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone on July 24; the new “Predator: Badlands” movie with star Elle Fanning, as well as the new “Tron” movie on July 25; and “Project Hail Mary” on July 26, a film adaptation of a hit sci-fi book, starring Ryan Gosling, who will be in attendance.

Creators from Asia will also be giving stateside studios a run for their money this year. Anime, Japanese film and television animation, has always had a big presence at Comic-Con but this year, it sure seems more prevalent. Wildly popular anime “Demon Slayer” will be on hand with voice actors and creators to discuss its upcoming feature film, “Infinity Castle.” It’s the first time an anime franchise will take over Hall H in the prime Saturday evening slot, a time typical reserved for heavyweights such as Marvel Studios or HBO.

Glanzer said there was no internal discussion where Comic-Con officials decided that anime is really popular so they better give “Demon Slayer” a Saturday slot. He said so many of the decisions about where to put a property come down to when that studio can show up and if they think it can fill a room. Still, at least someone at Comic-Con must have thought “Demon Slayer” was a big enough deal that it could fill the 6,500-seat Hall H.

“Anyone who thinks ‘Demon Slayer’ can’t fill Hall H is going to be very surprised,” MacDonald said.

She said her publication attended the Anime Expo in Los Angeles in early July and was shocked by its size. Organizers said it broke a record with 410,000 attendees, more than Comic-Con’s anticipated 350,000 attendees.

People clearly put a value on what Comic-Con is offering this year even if entertainment magazines might be less impressed by the lack of movie stars. Comic-Con attendees aren’t supposed to sell badges, especially because the buyer’s name is clearly visible on badges, but that hasn’t stopped them from showing up on ticket websites.

On Thursday on Stubhub, single-day tickets for Saturday, July 26, Comic-Con’s biggest day, were going from $477 to $798. That’s a big hike from the $80 a day ticket cost for most attendees.

Getting a hotel or vacation rental at this point would be expensive and difficult. The cheapest downtown hotel room that was still available as of Thursday was at the San Diego Downtown Lodge on Tenth Avenue across from San Diego City College for $372 a night. The closest available hotel to the Convention Center was the Hard Rock Hotel, with one room left, for $970 a night.

Comic-Con means a lot of work for hotel workers, restaurant staffs and businesses of all shapes in the Gaslamp Quarter. However, Daniel Kuperschmid, CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, said everyone is ready for next week.

“This is our Super Bowl,” he said.

By the numbers

135,000: The number of San Diego Comic-Con attendees

$160 million: Economic impact for San Diego in 2024

$3.2 million: Estimated taxes for San Diego from hotel and tax revenues

45: The number of trolley cars wrapped with Comic-Con advertisements

2 years: Comic-Con is guaranteed to remain in San Diego through 2027

30: Estimated number of downtown buildings wrapped for Comic-Con

$80: The daily ticket cost for Thursday to Saturday ($40 for seniors, military and 13 years old to 17 years old).

Sources: San Diego Comic-Con, city of San Diego, Metropolitan Transit System, KAP Media

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