The convention center in San Diego hosts Comic-Con International 2026.
SAN DIEGO — Preview Night at Comic-Con International on Wednesday (July 22) underscored how the entertainment industry’s relationship with the annual pop culture gathering continues to evolve.
While the convention floor no longer boasts the sprawling studio pavilions that once dominated Hall H and neighboring exhibit space, major entertainment companies remain an important part of the event — even as much of the marketing spectacle has migrated outside the San Diego Convention Center.
For media executives attending Comic-Con, the biggest takeaway from opening night was the continued shift in strategy. Rather than investing heavily in elaborate exhibit hall booths, studios and streaming services increasingly are using immersive outdoor activations, hotel takeovers, pop-up experiences and fan events throughout the Gaslamp Quarter to generate buzz. The convention center itself has become more focused on collectibles, comics, gaming, toys and licensed merchandise, with entertainment companies maintaining a presence that is more targeted than overwhelming.
That doesn’t mean Hollywood has disappeared from the show floor. Marvel, DC Comics and LucasFilm all had huge pavilions, the latter showcasing characters and vehicles from the hit streaming series “The Mandalorian.”
Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Prime Video, Paramount, Crunchyroll and other entertainment brands also remain visible through exhibit booths, promotional displays, consumer products and franchise tie-ins. Streaming services continue to use Comic-Con to engage directly with highly passionate fan communities, even if the largest reveals now often occur during Hall H presentations or at off-site experiences.
Many of the biggest attractions inside the exhibit hall continue to revolve around licensed consumer products. Studio-owned franchises are represented through exclusive collectibles, apparel, publishing, artwork and interactive displays, creating a retail-driven showcase that complements the marketing campaigns taking place outside the convention center.
Preview Night also highlighted another continuing trend: collectibles have become as much a draw as upcoming movies and TV series. Long lines quickly formed at booths offering Comic-Con exclusives, while attendees packed aisles searching for limited-edition figures, statues, comics and branded merchandise.
The result is an exhibit floor that feels different than Comic-Con’s pre-pandemic peak years. Gone are many of the enormous studio-built environments that once occupied prime real estate inside the hall. In their place is a broader mix of toy manufacturers, comic publishers, gaming companies, artists and retailers, with entertainment companies weaving their brands throughout the show rather than dominating it.
Outside, however, the entertainment industry’s investment appears as strong as ever.
Across downtown San Diego, studios and streamers have transformed restaurants, hotels, parking lots and public spaces into immersive experiences designed to extend Comic-Con beyond the convention center walls. The strategy allows companies to reach not only badge holders but also thousands of fans who come downtown simply to experience the annual celebration of pop culture.
Overall, “It feels like Comic-Con is back at full blast this year, with a number of studios, streamers and entertainment companies participating with major presences in Hall H, the ballrooms, the show floor and streetside activations,” said entertainment publicist Harry Medved. “Comic-Con has traditionally been the place where the fans and the industry connect to celebrate pop culture while enjoying some fresh air and creativity, and it hasn’t lost its luster.”
Medved, a San Diego-born film expert whose PBS SoCal show “Locationland” is nominated for an L.A. Area Emmy this weekend, is here to moderate the Hollywood Locations Scouts panel Friday at 1 p.m. in Room 9. (He also works with Cinema United, the trade association for all movie theaters and presenters of CinemaCon, along with global entertainment guide JustWatch, among others.)
“This year Movie Tourism has taken off as a hot topic that the fans really care about, with four different panels and a sold-out meetup at Kansas City Barbecue, that popular local haunt from the original Top Gun,” Medved said. “I’m also excited to see star-studded presentations and some more footage for a number of highly anticipated movies that we first showcased at Comic-Con, films like Avengers: Doomsday, DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island, Neon’s Hope and Amazon MGM Studios’ Spaceballs: The New One, not to mention all the other good stuff on the Warner Bros./DC and Marvel panels.
“And of course, who can resist the upcoming reboot, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, the fifth in the series that was born right her in San Diego. From the blockbusters to the indies, there’s room for everyone in entertainment here.”
