Comic-Con, the organizer of both WonderCon and San Diego Comic-Con, has announced that WonderCon will be postponed, while a decision still needs to be made on SDCC. The news comes as the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has been responsible for sweeping changes across the entertainment industry. Several movies have postponed premieres and releases, such as No Time to Die, A Quiet Place Part II, and F9. In many cases, the delay has been for six months to a year, as the longevity of the virus remains unknown. There are still some high profile films with planned releases in the next few months, including Disney’s live-action Mulan and MCU film Black Widow.
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Conventions have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus, as gatherings of people become more dangerous. Several smaller cons, such as Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, have been pushed or canceled. The move will also have an impact on TV and movie studios, who use these sort of events to showcase upcoming projects. The world of gaming has been affected as well, with shows like E3 2020 canceled over concerns related to the virus. As of now, most TV shows are still in production, though all of the New York-based late-night shows will begin filming without an audience next week.
Comic-Con provided a statement today announcing the postponement of WonderCon, which was originally scheduled for next month. The organizers didn’t give a window for when the convention will happen now, instead saying it will be at “a later date.” Meanwhile, “no decision has been made regarding the rescheduling of Comic-Con slated to take place this summer.” Read Comic-Con’s full statement below:
To protect public health and slow the rate of transmission of COVID-19, the California Department of Public Health announced a recommendation that gatherings and events of more than 250 people should either be postponed or canceled. Comic-Con (organizer of WonderCon) will abide by this recommendation. Therefore WonderCon Anaheim, scheduled for April 10-12, 2020 in Anaheim, California, will be postponed until a later date. We will begin processing refunds in the coming days.
We continue to work closely with officials in San Diego and at this time no decision has been made regarding the rescheduling of Comic-Con slated to take place this summer; July 23-26, 2020. We urge everyone to follow the recommendations set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and your local health officials.
It seems likely that more closures and cancellations are on the way, as several have been announced in just the last day. Outside of the entertainment industry, various sporting organizations have made hard choices in regards to the coronavirus. Last night, the NBA announced it was suspending the rest of its 2020 season. They cited a Utah Jazz player who had tested positive as the reason. Major League Soccer shared it will suspend its own season for 30 days, while the NHL is suspending indefinitely.
The postponement of WonderCon doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering when it was supposed to happen and the number of other conventions that have already been affected. It also makes sense that no decision has been made on San Diego Comic-Con, as it is still a ways out at this point. There’s a chance the coronavirus will be more in control by July. As of now, most events and gatherings have been cancelled through the end of March or April, will suggests a hope it’ll be better by early summer. Either way, in this case, better safe than sorry is definitely the correct stance from Comic-Con. Fans will enjoy WonderCon more knowing they’ll be safe while doing so.
Source: Comic-Con
