showbiz

Cineplex at Comic-Con!

Posted on Wednesday, July 29, 2009
by Matt Devuono - Cineplex Entertainment

Comic-Con

In life, there are many reasons to stand in a lineup. Some are willing to do it for a burger, others for concert tickets or even a movie.

This past week I was witness to one of the biggest convention spectacles in the U.S. - San Diego Comic-Con International a.k.a. Lineup Champion of the World.

I was among the 125,000 guests at this not-just-for-nerds convention and I won't be the only one telling you that it takes its 'Celebration of the Popular Arts' tagline seriously enough to sell out the joint months in advance. Working to develop 'Front Row Centre Events' for Cineplex, I was there professionally, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't mildly giddy after hearing Peter Jackson and James Cameron share industry-themed anecdotes to an enthralled audience of 6500 people.

Women of Sci-Fi Panel

Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Elizabeth Mitchell at the Women of Sci-Fi Panel

This year, the New Moon cast got another earful of screaming teenagers and the Iron Man 2 fanboys got their wish with some exclusive footage and even an appearance by Robert Downey Jr. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp unveiled the first look at Alice in Wonderland and a few lucky fans were treated to the first public 3D footage of Cameron's years-in-the-making, eagerly anticipated Avatar...all of which I missed because I was (ahem) working.

Of course, the event itself is covered so very well by entertainment shows, industry publications and even instantly via social network sites by both fans and stars alike (you can follow director Jon Favreau as he tweets about Iron Man 2), that it's possible for everyone to feel like they're really there!

My sophomore trip proved that although I may know the locations of the booths, where the big events are and that proper advance scheduling is a requirement, you can never fully prepare for the impact the whole experience has on your sanity. Whether you think you are a little average, a little zany or a complete bore, you will find yourself humbled: this is a haven for people-watching. Especially the view from the lineup for the "Lost" panel that stretched over six hours on a Saturday morning.

Now that's dedication.

Iron Man/Green Hornet

Fans go crazy for the Iron Man 2 and The Green Hornet displays that grace the convention floor.

You need to be logged in to leave a comment.

There are currently no comments.

subscribe to our blog

All Posts

Browse by category

Archive

Tags