The 2025 Comic-Con International, one of the world’s largest pop culture gathering, opened in San Diego on Thursday, but the usual mood of excitement surrounding the event has been tempered by the impact of the global trade tensions.
The four-day extravaganza remains a colorful spectacle with fans and enthusiasts donning costumes of their favorite characters and a whole host of memorabilia on display.
On the expo show floor, there are exhibits of major franchises like the Fantastic Four, and even though the movie premieres this week, it does not have a film presence at Comic-Con's famed Hall H, which traditionally serves as a launching pad for major releases.
Other big production companies are conspicuously absent, with Warner Brothers, Lucasfilm, Sony and Legendary, all not having a film presence at the event.
Rob Salkowitz, an author who is an expert on pop culture and digital media, said that tensions over trade and the increasingly challenging immigration policies of the Trump administration are having an impact on the industry in the U.S., with studios, publishers, and small vendors all being affected.
"Anecdotally, I've heard of international creators who have canceled their visits. International fans who were coming over here don't know what's going to happen if they get stopped at the airport and things like that," he said.
The uncertainty is also causing a headache for smaller businesses like Artistic Flavorz, who sell unique charms, stickers and pins, including ones with Filipino characters. Joanne Zamudio, one of the enterprise's co-owners, said that with three-quarters of their product line being manufactured in China, the U.S.-imposed tariffs are piling on the pressure and leaving the firm with the dilemma of raising their prices at the risk of scaring away customers.
"Enamel pins are not available to manufacture in the U.S. It's actually not available to manufacture in a lot of places. So, we have no choice but to go to China for that. For other stuff, it's understandable. But if you're going to pay 10 dollars for a sticker, no one's going to buy it. We're just trying to keep our prices low so that everybody's happy," she said.
Joseph Reiter, founder of Symbiote Studios, moved to China back in 2007 to set up factory connections for his grand creation, the plush toy and cartoon character Catnip Bravo. The company's products are designed in Arizona and manufactured in China, which means it's faced with 20-percent tariffs.
"It's just the not knowing -- one week our clients are paying this much, the next week we're paying this much. It's just up and down. That was the real problem. We haven't passed them on to consumers because we just don't think that's fair to do that. I know a lot of companies do that, and it's their right to do it, but we have enough margin in our product. So we just eat the tariff costs," Reiter said.
Despite these economic pressures, some diehard fans say they won't stop making purchases. However, one attendee said he had to pay between 15 to 30 percent more than prior years to get his hands on his favorite merchandise.
Trade tensions dampen mood as 2025 Comic Con gets underway in San Diego
