Comic-Con Cancels 2020 Pop Culture Convention, Scraps Plans To Reschedule Anaheim Show

By Mike Roe

Published Apr 17, 2020 12:15 PM

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Fans of movies, TV and comic books were still holding out hopes that somehow, maybe, the giant San Diego Comic-Con would still happen, given that it wasn't scheduled until July. But for an event that draws more than 130,000 people a year — including many Angelenos — it started to seem more and more like it wasn't in the cards.

Now it's been officially canceled. The event started 50 years ago in 1970, but what would have been its 50th anniversary was canceled Friday. There had already been concerns from the film studios about sending their talent to the packed convention this summer — though with production shut down, there's less for them to be promoting to those fans, anyway.

Here's Comic-Con International in a statement:

"Recognizing that countless attendees save and plan for its conventions each year, and how many exhibitors and stakeholders rely upon its events for a major portion of their livelihood, [organizers] had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer. Continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by the Governor of California have made it clear that it would not be safe to move forward with plans for this year."

Fans who managed to get the always instant sell-out tickets will get relief for at least some of their anxieties — they'll have the option to transfer those badges to next year's convention, or to request a refund.

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Bad news for WonderCon, too. The Anaheim show, which is run by the same nonprofit, had its April convention that was scheduled for Easter weekend delayed thanks to coronavirus. Organizers had said they were hoping to reschedule, but now it won't be returning to the Anaheim Convention Center until March of 2021.

This summer was also supposed to be the grand opening of a permanent Comic-Con Museum in San Diego, but that is also being pushed back due to the pandemic.

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