San Diego city leaders opened Comic-Con 2025 on July 23, 2025, with Preview Night at the San Diego Convention Center. The mayor’s office forecast more than $160 million in regional economic impact from the five-day event.
Mayor Todd Gloria led the kickoff with Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, Convention Center CEO Rip Rippetoe, San Diego Tourism Authority CEO Daniel Kuperschmid and Comic-Con’s David Glanzer. The city’s “first dog,” Diego, attended in costume.
The numbers
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Expected attendance | 135,000+ |
| Regional economic impact | $160 million+ |
| Direct attendee spending | $96.8 million (mayor’s office estimate) |
| Exhibit space | 460,000+ sq ft |
| Exhibitors | 1,000+ |
| Programming | 2,000+ hours of panels, workshops and events |
Comic-Con is the city’s largest convention of the year. It draws media from more than 20 countries, according to the Convention Center.
A year without a Marvel movie panel
The 2025 show was notable for who sat out. Marvel Studios skipped its usual Hall H film presentation. Marvel instead ran a Fantastic Four: First Steps fan attraction near the convention center, timed to the film’s July 25 release.
Highlights
George Lucas made his first-ever Comic-Con appearance on Sunday. Elle Fanning appeared in Hall H for Predator: Badlands. FX built a large Alien: Earth experience with a replica spacecraft, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and The Toxic Avenger also held panels, with the Toxic Avenger reboot taking Hall H.
Preview Night and community events
The exhibit hall and Artists’ Alley opened from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The San Diego Public Library hosted a free workshop showing teachers how to use comics in lesson plans.
At the time, Comic-Con’s agreement with the city ran through 2027. (It was later extended to 2030.)
Key facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Preview Night | July 23, 2025 |
| Main show | July 24–27, 2025 |
| Venue | San Diego Convention Center |
| Headline moment | George Lucas’s first Comic-Con appearance |
| Notable absence | Marvel Studios Hall H film panel |
Frequently asked questions
When was San Diego Comic-Con 2025? Preview Night was July 23, 2025, and the main show ran July 24–27.
Did Marvel Studios have a panel at SDCC 2025? No. Marvel skipped its usual Hall H film presentation but ran a Fantastic Four: First Steps attraction nearby.
Was George Lucas at Comic-Con 2025? Yes. It was his first-ever Comic-Con appearance, on Sunday of the show.
