The numbers are in, and theDC FanDomeevent on Saturday has proven to be a big hit with fans. DC FanDome’s Hall of Heroes was a virtual convention organized by WarnerMedia devoted exclusively to discussing various gaming and storytelling projects relating to DC Comics. 22 million viewers from across the globe tuned in to watch the live stream for the event that was broadcast in nine languages.
The event also generated positive buzz on social media, with DC FanDome trending on Twitter and YouTube, and the various teasers for the event that were released beforehand being viewed over 150 million times.
WarnerMedia has been praised for organizing a virtual fan convention that was considered much superior to theComic-Con@Homevirtual event held a few weeks earlier. While Comic-Con suffered from weak virtual events and poor digital infrastructure, DC FanDome operated like a well-oiled machine, offering dynamic interplay between creators and fans, and a brisk series of major announcements regarding upcoming DC properties.
There was also the fact that the star power was missing from Comic-Con after Marvel failed to come up with any major announcements. On the other hand, FanDome featured appearances from many filmmakers, from Zack Snyder and Matt Reeves to Patty Jenkins and James Gunn, and a host of lead actors from theDCEU.
Then there were the many teases for upcoming films, fromThe Batman trailertoZack Snyder’s Justice League trailer, toThe Suicide Squad sneak peek, which ensured the virtual convention was trending for all 24 hours of its runtime on social media.
Possibly the biggest news disclosed at the event was the confirmation that the DCEU going forward will be a part of a larger multiverse that would connect to older DC films and the CW’s Arrowverse. This would allow the live-action DC movies to have a more free-form approach to world-building instead of having to adhere to any one rigid cinematic canon. The same character can be played by multiple actors in multiple movies, all existing in separate realities that are a part of the same overarching multiverse.
Since the cost of setting up the virtual convention was much lower than a convention of a similar size that takes place in the real world would have cost, and the fact that the event was able to reach an international audience in a way that a physical convention could not have allowed for makes it a virtual guarantee that the DC FanDome will become an annual event. But that does not mean conventions will no longer be held at physical locations, according to the president of worldwide marketing for Warner Bros. Pictures Group, Gregorian and Blair Rich.
“There’s a place for both. I don’t think one negates the other. I just think that under the circumstances that we were in we were able to come up with a solution for how to stay connected with our fans.”
As for now, a second part of the event, titledDC FanDome: Explore the Multiversewill launch on Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, where fans will be able to do a deep dive into the DC multiverse and how it will change the DCEU going forward. This news comes courtesy ofVariety.
