Warner Bros. absence from Comic-Con 2019 draws disappointment, frustration from fans

Fans were delighted when director Patty Jenkins shared a photo of “Wonder Woman 1984” in a gleaming golden costume on Twitter Wednesday, but their joy soon turned to disappointment when they learned Warner Bros. — the studio behind the film — would not be holding its annual presentation at Comic-Con 2019.

The studio’s showcase is one of the marquee events of the annual convention. Over 130,000 fans make the trek to San Diego every year, with some waiting in line for Hall H — the San Diego Convention Center’s biggest room — for days.

In her post, Jenkins revealed that the WB would skip Comic-Con this year, the first time in 20 years.

“By now you’ve heard: WB isn’t going to Hall H this year,” the director tweeted. “We’re so sad to miss you there! And waiting until Dec. to start our official #WW84 campaign in full– But the truth is… we can just… barely… wait…”

Wonder Woman star Gald Gadot echoed Jenkins’ message, posting the same costumed photo on Instagram with the message, “Although all of us at Warner Brothers won’t be seeing you at SDCC – Hall H this year. We are so excited for what’s to come.”

Fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment:

“WTF?! WB has WON Comic Con for several years in a row, and now they’re going to just sit it out?!” one fan tweeted with a series of sad emojis.

Others were especially disappointed as the studio has two female-helmed and led films coming up: Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 1984” and Cathy Yan’s “Birds of Prey.”

Another joked that the lines for Hall H would be much, much shorter.

The studio’s absence means fans will not be able to preview other buzzy fantasy/sci-fi titles in the works, including the aforementioned “Birds of Prey,” Joaquin Phoenix as “The Joker,” or “The Dune” remake. Right now, it seems the only presence the studio will have will be at ScareDiego, a horror-centric event right before Comic-Con officially starts. “It: Chapter 2” director Andy Muschietti announced the film — slated for release on August 6, 2019 — will have some sort of preview (the WB held a similar event for “It” at ScareDiego two years ago).

Other studios have yet to confirm their participation in Comic-Con.

Last year, Marvel Studios skipped their Hall H presentation, but that didn’t seem to affect ticket sales or sentiment for “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: End Game.” With the only remaining MCU title being “Spider-Man: Far From Home” — which comes out two weeks prior to Comic-Con — the studio may not have anything to present… yet. Fans may hope for something from Scarlett Johannson’s standalone “Black Widow” movie, currently in production.

20th Century FOX, which like Marvel Studios is now a Disney subsidiaries, may have a few offerings, namely “New Mutants” (focusing on a group of super-powered teens) and potentially news about the “Avatar” sequel. But their big genre feature for 2019, “Dark Phoenix,” opens next week.

The studio Comic-Con schedules are expected to be announced in late June. Comic-Con 2019 runs from July 18-21.