20th Century Fox and Comic-Con

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20th Century Fox's decision to withdraw a high-profile panel presentation out of Comic-Con (Wednesday, 7.25 to Sunday, 7.29) only a week before the San Diego convention begins seems more than just "sudden." Suddenness always smacks of sturn und drang, and given recent Fox decisions concerning the online journo community it's hard not to at least consider the implications.

Coming on the heels of (a) that Radar report about the Fox vs. CFCA confrontation, (b) the decision to keep onliners and other media types from seeing The Simpsons Movie until 7.26 (i.e., a day before the nationwide opening), and (c) a certain Fox publicist deciding to blast me off the Fox screening list yesterday for that mild little piece I wrote two days ago, Fox pulling out of Comic Con seems like another indication of a guarded, bordering-on-frosty attitude by Fox towards online journos and the film-geek community.

A major distributor with almost nothing but supermall popcorn geek movies to promote (Hitman with Timothy Olyphant, Doug Liman's forthcoming Jumper, an Aliens vs. Predator followup, a Vin Diesel actioner called Babylon A.D.) yanks a personal-appearance panel out of the biggest movie-geek convention on the planet seven days before it opens? This is business as usual? Do the math.

L.A. Times reporter Sheigh Crabtree wrote yesterday that Fox had "previously announced plans to promote its movies with a star-and filmmaker-studded panel next Friday in the main hall." This is what has been cancelled -- that much is clear. Comic-Con p./r. guy David Glanzer told me this morning that he was informed of the pull-out yesterday morning around 11 am.

There's some confusion, though. Glanzer also told me that he expects Fox to still deliver a product reel presentation, and yet Fox national publicity vp Sean Dudas told Crabtree that the studio's "material wasn't ready and we only want to go out when we can put our best foot forward." When Dudas says "material" I presume he's not referring to talent but audio-visual elements...no? Crabtree reported that "the studio was reconsidering its position" and that execs are "still hoping to have some kind of 'surprise' for fans at the convention."

She also wrote that given that "Paramount and DreamWorks, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., New Line, Lionsgate and others have announced star-filled panels, screenings, sneak peeks and major promotional events," Fox's "last-minute cancellation is something of an upset. An estimated 123,000 will be attending the convention."

If Fox publicity was open to communicating and keeping the doors open, I would have naturally gotten in touch with them in order to include a possible comment. But they're not picking up so I just ran it as is. If they want to add anything, it's their call.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 19, 2007 at 9:04 AM

comment #1

George Prager says ...

They don't need to be there. It's a waste of time and money. The entire country has become one giant ComicCon.

Posted by George Prager at July 19, 2007 10:36 AM

comment #2

George Prager says ...

This isn't 1982.

Posted by George Prager at July 19, 2007 10:38 AM

comment #3

breadlymoore says ...

I never quite understood the appeal of Comic Con. I can only assume it will turn into Showest in a matter of years.

Besides, Fox should be spending that money on riot police and foaming dogs to keep onliners from seeing SIMPSONS.

Posted by breadlymoore at July 19, 2007 10:57 AM

comment #4

le corbeau says ...

I expect the Simpsons movie to come in for bashing-- everyone's line is that the glory days ended 5 or 6 seasons ago-- but this is starting to make it feel like a serious disaster.

Posted by le corbeau at July 19, 2007 11:14 AM

comment #5

actionman says ...

if you went to the event you'd understand the appeal

Posted by actionman at July 19, 2007 11:18 AM

comment #6

iamanerd says ...

If you have watched the last few years of The Simpsons (especially the past 2 seasons), you would know that the glory days are nowhere near over. Even the newer releases of seasons on DVD have stepped up.
Also, if you've ever even known someone who went to Comic Con, then you would know how well it works. The geeks lined up for films like Ghost Rider earlier this year because the buzz was buzzing about it for so long, negative and positive. You'd be crazy to say Fox isn't screwing the pooch with this move.

Posted by iamanerd at July 19, 2007 11:29 AM

comment #7

BeachBum says ...

Hey, if Fox is PO'ed at reviewers, that's one thing, but they are cutting off their nose if they blow off Comic-Con. Almost every movie panel I've been to at Comic-Con over the past 4 years gets nothing but love from thousands of adoring fans--and I imagine the Simpsons movie panel would've been one of the high points. They (Fox) may not NEED to be there, but they would almost certainly get positive word of mouth buzz and a huge ego boost if they showed.

Posted by BeachBum at July 19, 2007 11:39 AM

comment #8

wholovesya says ...

Comic-Con will not become ShoWest. There is no publicity bump from ShoWest and the costs are actually lower. For most of the studios it's just bringing down the talent and a DVD of trailers, clips, whathave you. Considering the word-of-mouth it can generate (WB credits the first big buzz on "300" as coming from footage being shown at the convention), it's almost necessary.

Let's talk about the REAL reason Fox won't be there. The movies they are previewing SUCK and they know it. Jumper has been shooting forEVER with the notoriously insane Doug Liman a the helm. Vin Diesel's Bablyon A.D. looks like a bad USA movie from the mid '90's. Not even this crew would care about Alien vs. Predator 2. And City of Embers? Um, sure. They should be there with Jim Cameron's Avatar, but that movie is over two years away, so maybe next year...if they are even doing any marketing besides TV spots and outdoor at that point.

Posted by wholovesya at July 19, 2007 11:41 AM

comment #9

Hickenlooper says ...

Once a year in Pasadena there is some kind of science fiction cartoon convention. Across the street I go to Gelson's, often for a cup of hot java and cookie, and my wife and I will see a group of middle-aged Klingons sitting in the corner enjoying a pastry or biscotti. It's always surreal. Adults obssessed with being lost in this fantasy.I think Mr. Prager is correct, a kind of cartoon culture has permeated every aspect of the mainstream. Are we trying to lose ourselves more and more in a fantasy world because we've grown lethargic by bad television. Have we become too lazy to do our homework to take interest in what goes on in real life and the rest of the world. No wonder we're culturally marooned from Europe and Asia. Ugh... The San Diego Comic Con is just a depressing celebration of the grown vapidity of our times. Call me a snob but heck I used to love Star Wars too... when I was twelve.

Posted by Hickenlooper at July 19, 2007 12:11 PM

comment #10

Pelham123 says ...

Comic Con is more of a Mardi Gras celebration featuring an enormous variety of subject matter than simply a bunch of geeks dressing up in "Star Wars" outfits and parading around. I'll bet the ComicCon audience is more engaged with the world than the delusional, and far more cartoonish, American Enterprise Institute crowd.

Posted by Pelham123 at July 19, 2007 12:28 PM

comment #11

actionman says ...

"Ugh... The San Diego Comic Con is just a depressing celebration of the grown vapidity of our times."

c'mon Hickenlooper- it's a FUN event. that's it. a place to see trailers, clips, celebrities, and get the inside-scoop on big-budget movies. but first and foremost--it's FUN.

Posted by actionman at July 19, 2007 12:43 PM

comment #12

George Prager says ...

About as fun as "To Catch a Predator" except the kitchen is much larger.

Posted by George Prager at July 19, 2007 12:46 PM

comment #13

christian says ...

"Have we become too lazy to do our homework to take interest in what goes on in real life and the rest of the world."

yes, it would explain how bush came to power. see? i just worked our crook in chief right into that.

of course, it's perfectly fine for adults to memorize meaningless sports trivia, paint their faces, get loaded and scream or fight for their team. talk about fantasyland...

i'm a huge geek but i've never once been to comic-con since that bad experience i had at my first sc-fi comic convention back in 1981 -- i was embarrased by my peers at age 13.

but for fox to not pimp THE SIMPSONS at the con is an act of marketing stupidity.

Posted by christian at July 19, 2007 1:19 PM

comment #14

Hickenlooper says ...

I don't mean to sound like a party pooper. I'm sure I'd enjoy it myself, for about ten minutes. But serioiusly, it's not the comic con that bums be out, it's the level of important Hollywood places on it. There is a terrific editorial in today's Wall Street Journal by poet Dana Gioia (head of the NEA) about titled "The Improvishment of American Culture." The smartest thing she says in it is that our culture doesn't value anything anymore unless it can be bought and sold in the marketplace. That we have severly limited our horizons with a kind of comic book mentality that doesn't worship anything by money and fame. Her best quote is "Adult Life begins with the imagination, and we've relinquished that imagination to the marketplace." The comic con, for me, is just another example of a consumer orgy of folks who are being suckered into spending their money on the capitalist food chain. It all feels rather Orwellian and creepy to me. Call me an old fuddy duddy, but I think it's depressing.

Posted by Hickenlooper at July 19, 2007 1:45 PM

comment #15

christian says ...

on that consumerist note, i would agree.

but that goes beyond comics to rampant capitalism, and unless you want to "move to sweden" as you phrased it, this orgy will continue as long as there's a wall street journal to pimp the "free" market.

Posted by christian at July 19, 2007 2:02 PM

comment #16

BurmaShave says ...

Wells, it's being reported elsewhere that things have been strained between Fox and Comic Con since the BORAT presentation last year that included the naked wrestling. As all of Fox's films are R, it's being claimed they didn't want to present bastardized versions of their films. The most damning thing they say though is why go to Comic Con when they can just put everything online?

About as fun as "To Catch a Predator" except the kitchen is much larger.

Posted by: George Prager at July 19, 2007 12:46 PM

That's one of the funnier things I've read on here in awhile.

Hickenlooper, you know I love you baby, but in what world if FACTORY GIRL not a fantasy? You even put the kid from STAR WARS in it as Bob fucking Dylan!

Posted by BurmaShave at July 19, 2007 2:40 PM

comment #17

Craig Kennedy says ...

I'm a huge nerd but I don't enjoy hanging out with other huge nerds so I don't go to cons of any kind.

In terms of writing, I think Simpsons is far from over and I continue to be shocked at how good it is whenever I watch an episode, but in terms of a Cultural Moment That Needs to Be A Feature Length Film, I kind of do feel its time has passed. Then again, I was shocked by the lines outside of the 7-Eleven-turned-Kwiki-Marts. Turns out I'm shocked by a lot of things though...

Posted by Craig Kennedy at July 19, 2007 4:45 PM

comment #18

Craig Kennedy says ...

Also, at risk of being one of those know-it-all-pains-in-the-asses with too much time on their hands, I think it's "sturm and drang" unless there's some accepted variant I didn't know about.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at July 19, 2007 4:48 PM

comment #19

D.Z. says ...

iamanerd: "If you have watched the last few years of The Simpsons (especially the past 2 seasons), you would know that the glory days are nowhere near over."

Perhaps, but people are watching Family Guy and South Park instead of The Simpsons.

Posted by D.Z. at July 19, 2007 6:15 PM

comment #20

MPNeeb says ...

>>No wonder we're culturally marooned from Europe and Asia.

The places that gave the world the Holocaust, bukkake, and Godzilla?
I suddenly feel better about Transformers.

Posted by MPNeeb at July 19, 2007 6:25 PM

comment #21

thasos says ...

It's "Sturm und Drang."

Posted by thasos at July 20, 2007 4:54 AM

comment #22

christian says ...

you say bukkake and Godzilla like it's a bad thing.

Posted by christian at July 20, 2007 2:24 PM

comment #23

jerome manga says ...

Comic Con is fun. Why be so harsh? It is a "comic book convention after all. Long before the Studios took an interest the Con was going strong as an event for fans to meet their favourite comic book writers and artists. There is a lot more to Comic Con than just the big film announcements anyway. Anime, manga, games and memorabilia is a huge part of the event these days. You can have your Cannes and Sundances. But where else in the world can you sit in on a panel with Guiermo del Torro and discuss the Spanish Civil War, and be able to pick up your very own limited edition 17" Planet of the Apes statuette with 150 points of articulation? You can't do that on the Croisette.

Posted by jerome manga at July 20, 2007 3:13 PM

comment #24