Hall H, the biggest stage when it comes to news at San Diego Comic-Con—will close its doors a little early this year. Comic-Con International has confirmed that no panels will appear inside the iconic venue at this year’s convention, a rare moment for the biggest pop culture event of the summer.
Hall H is traditionally much more subdued on the Sunday of Comic-Con as fans and reporters begin making their preparations to leave behind SDCC for another year—the major panels are usually held on Friday and Saturday. But there is usually at least some activity in the arena known for breaking the internet and its camped out audience’s minds alike with major news from the biggest film and TV studios. That won’t be the case in 2023 however, as Comic-Con International has finally rolled out the full schedule for this year’s event, confirming no panels are planned for Hall H on Sunday, July 23.
This isn’t unprecedented—this has happened before, it’s just been a very long time since it has—and as previously mentioned, not all that much of a difference considering Sunday is usually a quieter day at the convention. But this year’s absence comes in the wake of a pre-SDCC season of major studios and media industry names announcing their plans to skip the con this year, making opportunities for the big news many are drawn to at the event slighter and slighter. Closing the most famous room at the con before the con’s even over does little to assuage fans concerns that, as the pandemic saw companies bifurcate into a world where they hosted their own events as much as they attended third-party ones, SDCC’s influence on the nerd calendar may be on a downward trend.
San Diego Comic-Con runs from preview night on July 19 through to Sunday, July 23.
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