DC FanDome Is A Success With 22 Million Views To Prove It
Did you notice an uptick in DC related content over the past few weeks? Many eager fans attended the new DC FanDome event, while other casual viewers were able to enjoy new content and trailers available for streaming. Hot on the trail of last month’s Comic-Con @ Home event, DC managed to pull off a virtual event worth tuning in for. Let’s take a look at how the DC FanDome event was a success.
DC FanDome Is A Success: What They Did Right
DC has often relied on the San Diego Comic-Con event to release big news and hold large panels. Meanwhile, Marvel Comics has been getting cozier with D23 due to their Disney status. With a global pandemic forcing companies to get creative, it seems like the perfect time to try something new!
DC FanDome found success within a 24-hour timeframe. Viewers could tune into the live streams, pre-recorded content, and panels from their devices for free. Twenty-two million views came to the event to join in on the fun, coming from 220 countries. The entire event was made available for 24 hours to encourage audiences from any time zone to take part, and broadcasting occurred in nine languages.
Highlight events include a teaser for The Batman, a new Wonder Woman: 1984 trailer, and some new Justice League: The Snyder Cut info.
Image via Warner Bros.
How Warner Bros. Pictures Jumped At The Chance
It may seem like big events take years to plan, but the DC FanDome event was made in a hurry. Due to the worsening status of COVID-19 preventing any significant in-person events from happening, DC and Warner Bros. Pictures knew that they had to do something big to keep people interested. After all, with so many film release delays, there are lots of unhappy fans out there.
Planning for the event began in April after E3 was canceled, and it became apparent that SDCC would be, too. Blair Rich, President of Worldwide Marketing at Warner Bros., explained that they wanted to “put the fans at the center of an experience,” and that it needed to be “dynamic and meaningful.”
Image via Warner Bros.
DC FanDome Success In Comparison To San Diego Comic-Con @ Home
Did you tune in to any of the Comic-Con @ Home events? Or did you completely miss that the virtual event was taking place? Many fans were left disappointed after no major news was released during the con, which is typically the home to plenty of announcements. Other complaints included no fan interactions, poorly planned panels, and a lack of advertising.
What DC FanDome managed to do that stands far above SDCC’s event is the unique fan dedication. SDCC’s event almost felt like an obligatory event that was held so that they wouldn’t skip a year, and panels felt thrown together at the last minute. Whereas the DC FanDome event included panels that we genuinely wanted to learn from, creators that wanted to connect with fans, and a pretty good virtual experience with limited tech errors.
Marvel has also been having a less-than-exciting year. The next big things have all been pushed back, including Black Widow, WandaVision, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier which won’t be debuting in August on Disney+ as we hoped. We’re all psyched for these releases, but they’re stories that aren’t entirely new. Meanwhile, a new Batman film with a promising lead, a sequel to an incredibly successful debut, and early information on upcoming productions are things worth starting some chatter about.
DC FanDome Deserves To Be A Yearly Event
In-person events like SDCC are great, but they’re pretty exclusive. Passes cost hundreds of dollars, and many people end up traveling from other states or countries. The benefit of virtual events is inclusivity, as almost anyone with a wi-fi connection can join in on the fun! Since DC FanDome found so much success in its first run, we can begin crossing our fingers that it comes back on a regular basis.
Fortunately, we don’t have to wait too long for the next event. FanDome: Explore the Multiverse will happen on September 12th, 2020.
Did you get to experience the success of DC FanDome? We want to hear your thoughts about the experience!
Featured image via DC Comics.
Meghan Hale is the kind of movie lover that has a "must watch" that is a mile long... and growing. When she isn't talking about the latest film and television news she is writing one of her many in-process novels, screaming film trivia at anybody who will listen, and working as a mental health care professional. Follow her on Twitter @meghanrhale for some fun theories and live reactions to all things entertainment.
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