DC Comics and Warner Bros. announced a wealth of upcoming content at the second annual DC FanDome event this past weekend, from TV series to films and video games.
Four major DC films will be arriving in theatres in 2022: Matt Reeves’ The Batman; The Flash starring Ezra Miller; Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom starring Jason Mamoa; and the long-anticipated Shazam! spin-off Black Adam film starring Dwayne Johnson.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most comic book companies, including DC, saved their big announcements for massive events including the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). But because of the pandemic, SDCC was cancelled in person in 2020 and DC decided to create its own event called DC FanDome.
“This massive, immersive digital event will give everyone new ways to personalize their journey through the DC Universe without lines, without tickets and without boundaries,” said Ann Sarnoff, chief executive officer at Warner Bros..
“With DC FanDome, we’re able to give fans from around the world an exciting and unparalleled way to connect with all their favorite DC characters, as well as the incredible talent who bring them to life on the page and screen,” she said.
This year, the event lasted three-and-a-half hours and hit on the announcements DC fans have been waiting for — with a few surprises. The event also tripled its viewership from last year, bringing in 66 million viewers compared to 22 million the previous year.
Jessica Bay, a doctorate candidate in Communications and Culture at York University, as well as an avid DC fan, said this type of event is a cost-effective way of promoting content by reaching a global audience. Events such as SDCC are only available to the thousands who attend.
“This way they can have a direct connection to the audience and this year they had a lot more content available in person, online in advance,” she said. “They had all kinds of extra stuff that they didn’t have last year because they kind of threw it all together.”
Jonathan Gootgarts, an avid movie-goer and fan of the DC films, agrees.
He said events like DC FanDome could ultimately replace SDCC, which showcases many comic book companies while DC FanDome is exclusively DC.
“With the new online world in full effect, virtual events will be huge,” he said.
Gootgarts said the superhero genre is sweeping through the cinema industry and an event announcing big upcoming projects online effectively reaches a global audience.
Adam Hlavac, a YouTuber, podcaster and VFX artist whose work includes Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Mad Max: Fury Road, is a huge DC comics fan and enjoyed DC FanDome but said it should be shorter.
“At nearly four hours, I did start to feel the length of the show,” Hlavac said. “Talking heads are always going to be tricky to navigate.”
Hlavac said he hopes SDCC returns in 2022 and if so, DC FanDome might also become an in-person event like a “mini-convention.”
“I don’t think anything replaces the excitement of 6,000 people in one room reacting to the latest footage from an upcoming film or series,” he said.
Hlavac said he’s seen firsthand the excitement Marvel movies generate after working for Marvel Studios on films including Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron on their VFX team.