Thor, Justice League Fight for Fan Attention at Comic-Con
July 23 2017 - 3:42PM
Dow Jones News
By Ben Fritz
SAN DIEGO -- The Justice League and Thor were locked in a tight
battle for fan attention Sunday as Comic-Con International wrapped
up here.
People online were discussing "Justice League," from Time Warner
Inc.'s Warner Bros., and "Thor: Ragnarok," from Walt Disney Co.'s
Marvel Studios, more than any other movies or television shows
hyped at the world's biggest pop-culture convention, a four-day
event that started Thursday.
Both companies debuted new trailers and brought their films'
stars in front of packed crowds in a hall at the San Diego
Convention Center that holds 6,500 people, many of whom camped out
overnight to snag a seat.
"Justice League," whose cast includes Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal
Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Jason Momoa from "Game of Thrones" as
Aquaman, had racked up 10.3 million social-media engagements,
including likes and shares, by midday Sunday, according to research
company ListenFirst Media.
"Thor: Ragnarok," which stars Chris Hemsworth in the title role
and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, garnered 8.8 million.
However, Marvel's panel was held Saturday evening, while
Warner's was Saturday morning, giving "Justice League" more time to
grab fans' attention. "Thor" was catching up in social-media
numbers by Sunday and could ultimately end up No. 1, said a
ListenFirst spokeswoman.
The two movies will be released in November, so their
competition for fan attention presages what could be one of the
year' most brutal box-office battles.
The studios both emphasized humor alongside action in promoting
their films. For "Justice League," that's a sharper turn, as some
fans and many critics were turned off by the dark tone of last
year's Warner superhero movie "Batman v Superman."
"Game of Thrones" was the most popular television show hyped at
Comic-Con and came in right behind "Thor," with 8.2 million
social-media engagements. Ratings have been at a record high for
the fantasy program on Time Warner's HBO, as it recently started
its seventh season.
Comic-Con remains a key event for entertainment companies
looking to promote their films and programs to some of the most
devoted fans of science-fiction, fantasy and superheroes. In recent
years, the event has become even more important as a springboard
for generating excitement on social media. Many new trailers and
other materials debut at Comic-Con and are then quickly released
online.
This year, some of most popular experiences of Comic-Con weren't
at the actual convention but in downtown San Diego, where networks
and studios set up elaborate and immersive showcases for fans. The
most popular, with lines exceeding three hours, was a virtual
reality game and recreated city block from Alcon Entertainment's
upcoming "Blade Runner 2049." But the sequel, which was also part
of the Comic-Con presentation of its distributor, Warner Bros., was
only the fifth most talked-about movie online, according to
ListenFirst, with 1.9 million engagements.
Write to Ben Fritz at ben.fritz@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 23, 2017 16:27 ET (20:27 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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