SAN DIEGO - Many film actors, directors, executives and producers look forward to Comic-Con the way people look forward to stabbing themselves in the eye with the rusty tooth of a can opener. They increasingly spend as little time at the pop culture convention here as possible, flying in and out on corporate jets or helicopters.
It’s easy to see why they privately loathe it - these are fussy people used to Cannes - and why they come anyway.
Comic-Con, which started Thursday and runs through Sunday, is on the other side of the tracks from Hollywood - quite literally. To access the San Diego Convention Center, which will burst with some 140,000 attendees over the coming days, you must cross an ugly, busy train line.
On Wednesday evening, the convention’s preview night, thousands of people milled restlessly as a Norfolk Southern freight train blocked the main pedestrian crossing. It was almost a real-life scene from “World War Z†only instead of zombies there were rabid fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror crawling on top of each other.
But moviedom puts on its best forced smile and heads to Comic-Con anyway because the fans here â€" armed with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+ accounts - can put a film on the map overnight.
Warner Brothers is expected to announce a “Man of Steel†sequel. Marvel will probably make “Avengers†news. Lionsgate/Summit is mounting a huge push for “Ender’s Game†and “Divergent.â€
If it makes the movie and television stars en route to San Diego feel any better, there is a perk: For the second year, Warners set up a 4,000-square-foot V.I.P. tent for their use - no press, no fans - with a gifting lounge, sofas and a pool table. Hair and makeup artists stand at the ready to give last-minute touch-ups.
“It’s very, very mellow in there,†one studio executive said. “You wouldn’t even know you’re at Comic-Con.â€
