Why are studios pulling out of Comic-Con? Explained

San Diego Comic-Con has long been a place for superfans to gather and talk about their favorite media, but in more recent years, it’s also become a way for studios to announce upcoming projects and for actors to engage with their audience by holding star-studded panels. That close proximity is a big draw for Con-goers, who shell out hundreds in tickets, hotels, and even flights to come to the annual convention, but with several big names pulling out of Comic-Con this year, it looks like that part of the appeal is on its way out.

After COVID-19 forced the convention out of commission for two years, last year’s Comic-Con seemed like a return to form with bustling Hall H panels for Marvel Studios, Disney, and HBO heavyweight properties. This year, it’s likely none of those studios are going to have a presence at Comic-Con (except for a small booth or two) and for good reason.

Why are studios cancelling their Comic-Con panels?

Due to the ongoing WGA Writers’ Guild Strike, many big projects are stalled or behind schedule, leading studios to opt out of the convention. To make matters more complicated, the Screen Actors’ Guild is poised to go on strike as well if new contract deals aren’t reached by June 30, which looks increasingly more likely as the month goes by. If SAG authorizes its own strike, actors will join writers and showrunners in not attending any promotional events like Comic-Con and the panels will be depressingly empty. This year’s Comic-Con, scheduled to begin July 19, has a number of big studios choosing to forgo the convention rather than deal with the hassle of preparing a panel, only to cancel it if a SAG strike goes into effect.

Studios under the Disney umbrella like Marvel and Lucas Films will not have a big presence this year, while HBO, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Netflix are sitting out entirely. Some other studios are tentatively still planning panels, like HBO’s streaming service MAX, which will reportedly still present its animation titles, and Paramount Pictures, which will have a panel for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem film. Amazon will also likely have some type of presence, whether that be a panel or simply a booth, NBC and its streaming service Peacock will have panels if the actors don’t go on strike, and Apple TV hasn’t decided yet if it will attend, per Variety.

While there won’t be many panels, con-goers can still look forward to participating in cosplay competitions as well as bringing it back to basics and focusing on the comic book booths. If that’s not your style, do note one panel is still going strong; Funko will still have a strong Hall H presence — whether that’s worth the plane ticket and hotel stay is up to you.