Enthusiasts and fans of comics, fantasy and sci-fi have a holiday from Thursday to Sunday. In San Diego, California, what is considered to be the largest and most expensive comic-con in the world will be held. For a great number of nerds, this is the absolute top of the year, an event the importance of which exceeds even Christmas. That means record attendance and sales are to be expected.
TV series, movies, games, superhero masks, Hollywood creators, and a host of cosplayers dressed up in spot-on copies of the costumes their favorite characters wore. All of this will be present in abundance at the legendary international comic-con in San Diego, renowned for its exclusive previews of upcoming films or the stalls offering limited and luxury editions of DVDs, books, clothing, collectibles and posters.
This year's comic-con begins on Thursday, July 18, and it will be going for four days. Its highlight will include a debate with the creators of the Game of Thrones series and their encounters with fans. Some major stars will be missing, such as Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Kit Harington (Jon Snow), but it is still expected that fans will queue multiple hours to take a photo with the actors. The hall where the most awaited debate is about to take place has a capacity of 6500 seats!
Attendees can look forward to hundreds of superstars from their favorite movies and series, exhibitors, fan toy manufacturers and film studios. Brands like Marvel, Netflix, Lego, Mattel, Warner Bros or Disney are just the beginning. Naturally all of this will cost you a pretty penn - day tickets cost roughly 1500 crowns.
The San Diego comic-con was first held in 1970 with mere hundreds of people attending in its beginnings. The number of visitors, however, rose from year to year, surpassing 100,000 people in 2005, and four years ago, it generated the record number 167,000 people. According to estimates, participants from more distant places and foreign countries have booked over 35,000 hotel rooms, and over the course of four days, an incredible turnover of $500 million was made at the event!