Ignoring Wednesday’s ”Preview Night“ — like most attendees do anyway in a normal year anyway — here are the Top 10 most-watched events from the big kickoff
Comic-Con@Home 2020 is underway, and webcams from far beyond the San Diego city limits are getting a workout. But which of the basement- and kitchen-based panels drew the most virtual attention on Thursday, the first full day of the virtual fan fest? (As is always the case, San Diego Comic-Con holds a “Preview Night” on Wednesday, but Thursday and Saturday are typically considered the main days — unless you’re only attending for “The Walking Dead,” then Friday is your nerd Super Bowl.)
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Thursday’s most-streamed panel, according to YouTube’s public tally (we can’t quite turn to Nielsen on this one), was for the upcoming, long-delayed Marvel movie “The New Mutants” — and it wasn’t even close. “The New Mutants” panel started at 2 p.m. PT on Thursday, according to Comic-Con International’s schedule, and at the time this story was written had already eclipsed 107,000 views.
The No. 2 panel, for CBS All Access’ “Star Trek” universe of streaming TV shows, drew well-fewer than half the clicks: just over 41,000. And Amazon Prime’s superhero series “The Boys” followed at No. 3 with just over 32,000 views.
It’s worth pointing out here that certain panels are available beyond YouTube, like the ones hosted by IGN or others simultaneously streaming on Twitch — but all are available on YouTube, which serves as the main hub for Comic-Con@Home.
Also Read: Comic-Con@Home Snafu: 'Star Trek' Panel Temporarily Blocked on YouTube by CBS Copyright Complaint
“The New Mutants,” which is still set for an optimistic Aug. 28 release in theaters, follows five young mutants who have just discovered their abilities while being held in a secret facility against their will. The quintet, played by Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt and Henry Zaga, fights to escape their past sins and save themselves, according to the film’s official logline.
Not an apples-to-apples comparison so much as a fun tidbit, but the San Diego Convention Center’s famed Hall H seats 6,500 at its maximum capacity — so 6,500 would be the maximum number of people who would have been able to watch any of the marquee panels in a normal year. Of course, had this been a normal year, the panel schedule and each session’s respective news and content offerings would have been much, much different.
Alas, here we are.
Also Read: Leslie Knope Comes to 'Duncanville' in First Look at Season 2 (Video)
And here are the Top 10 most-watched panels thus far, according to YouTube tallies as of Friday morning at roughly 9:30 a.m. PT. Readers can watch each panel in its entirety via the videos below.
1.“The New Mutants”: 107,706
2. “Star Trek Universe Virtual Panel”: 41,440
3. “Amazon Prime Video: The Boys”: 32,130
4. “His Dark Materials Virtual Panel and Q&A”: 21,559
5. “A Look Inside “Marvel’s 616” on Disney+“: 19,955
6. “X-Men Fandom Surprise Party”: 12,360
7. “Cartoon Network Studios: The Art of Storyboarding”: 11,063
9. “Amazon Prime Video: Truth Seekers”: 9,409
10. “Amazon Prime Video: Upload”: 8,669
Also Read: 'Hannibal' Creator Bryan Fuller, 'Child's Play' Creator Don Mancini on Why Horror Is Queer
How about some honorable mentions?
The other Thursday panels that have already topped that Hall H-inspired 6,500-view threshold include: “Superstore,” “Cartoon Network Studios First Look,” “Mattel & WWE Elite Squad Fan Panel,” “Marvel Storyboards,” the “Crunchyroll Industry Panel,” “Collider: Directors on Directing” and “Amazon Prime Video: Utopia.”
Enjoy “The Walking Dead” today, all you quarantined zombies!
19 Stars Who Went to Comic-Con in Disguise, From Ben Affleck to Lupita Nyong'o (Photos)
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Since Comic-Con is a hotbed of superfans, stars like to go into stealth mode in order to experience the fun. See the celebrities who have walked in disguise at the annual fan fete in San Diego, California.
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In 2011, Esquire magazine writer Chris Jones accompanied Justin Timberlake at Comic-Con dressed as beloved "Sesame Street" duo Bert and Ernie, respectively.
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Getty Images
While attending 2011's Comic-Con to promote "The Amazing Spider-Man," Andrew Garfield pulled a double-fake by dressing as... Spider-Man.
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YouTube
Former "Doctor Who" star Matt Smith put on a Bart Simpson mask to walk the floor at the 2013 event.
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Getty Images
Bryan Cranston surprised his co-stars at a "Breaking Bad" panel in 2013 with a creepily realistic Walter White mask.
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Former Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe left his invisibility cloak at home and donned a Spider-Man costume to attend the 2014 Comic-Con.
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In 2014, "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson posted pics of himself on Facebook strolling through San Diego as an evil jester.
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MTV
Jack Black walked the floor of the 2014 event wearing a Stormtrooper mask but admitted that he didn't fool many people. "Everybody's just like, 'Jack Black, you in there?'" he told MTV News. "And I'm like 'No, it's not me. I don't know what you're talking about.'"
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Samuel L. Jackson mysteriously tweeted this bemasked shot of himself with his castmates from "Kingsman: The Secret Service" in 2014.
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According to science blogger Phil Plait, "Mythbusters" host Adam Savage built this elaborate costume for the 2014 event.
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Former "Hills" star Audrina Patridge went blue as the X-Men character Mystique at the 2014 convention.
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Simon Pegg put a "Star Wars" mask on top of his "Shaun of the Dead" outfit for the 2014 Comic-Con.
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"Game of Thrones" actress Maisie Williams went all out for the 2014 convention, putting on both a Spider-Man mask as well as a Guy Fawkes disguise.
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Marvel star Mark Ruffalo pulled on this creepy mask to wander Comic-Con in 2015.
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While there were plenty of fans who dressed as Jared Leto's green-haired Joker at the 2015 Comic-Con, the "Suicide Squad" star himself went undercover in a baboon mask. "He had no idea. :)" the star wrote in his Instagram caption.
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Josh Hutcherson even surprised his "Hunger Games" co-star Jennifer Lawrence with this old-man mask at the 2015 Comic-Con.
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Big-screen Superman Henry Cavill put on a Guy Fawkes mask and walked the convention floor in 2016 -- and even fooled Will Smith and other stars of DC Comics' "Suicide Squad."
Also Read: Comic-Con 2016: Henry Cavill Fools Will Smith and ‘Superman’ Fans (Video)
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Twitter/Lupita Nyong'o
When she wasn't promoting "Black Panther" in Hall H, Lupita Nyong'o went running around the convention floor in a Pink Ranger outfit at Comic-Con 2017.
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"Batman" star Ben Affleck avoided Batman questions in 2017 by walking around the convention floor in a Sesame Street shirt and a hideous green mask.
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In 2018, Mark Hamill hid among fans on the convention floor disguised as a First Order stormtrooper. nd yes, he joked about Leia’s infamous “Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” line in his Instagram post.
Celebrities avoid the mad crush by going undercover at the San Diego fan event
Since Comic-Con is a hotbed of superfans, stars like to go into stealth mode in order to experience the fun. See the celebrities who have walked in disguise at the annual fan fete in San Diego, California.
Tony Maglio
TV Editor • tony.maglio@thewrap.com • Twitter: @tonymaglio