Comic-Con Spotlights 4 Original Projects as Franchise Fatigue Reshapes Hall H

1 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jul 24

San Diego Comic-Con opened Thursday with some of its biggest Hall H slots going to creator-driven titles rather than superhero franchises, including Apple TV's Emmy-rich “Widow’s Bay,” Netflix’s “Ray Gunn,” Neon’s “Hope” and A24’s “Onslaught.”
19 Emmy nominations for “Widow’s Bay” and recent audience response to films like “The Odyssey” and “Obsession” have reinforced the view that fans are rewarding distinctive creators as once-reliable IP stumbles.
Recent franchise films such as “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” “Supergirl” and “Masters of the Universe” underperformed, while industry veteran Marc Bernardin said staples like new “Star Trek,” “Dr Who” and “Star Wars” projects are no longer anchoring the convention.
Competition from studio-run fan events including Disney’s D23, Netflix’s Tudum and Brazil’s CCXP has also changed Comic-Con’s role, though one studio source said the deeper shift is that fandom is moving from franchises toward creators.