'Snow White and the Huntsman' Wins for the most buzz & anticipation at Comic Con

In his excellent new Kindle essay, "Comic-Con Strikes Again," Douglas Wolk observed "that showing up at Comic-Con and impressing ultra-fans has become an obligation for everyone who works on anything that has fans. If your company is launching a big fantasy film or sci-fi TV series of massively multiplayer video game in the next year, you have to be there. No way around it.” But now that the dust has settled from this year’s Comic-Con and said fans been sated, the question remains: Who won Comic-Con?


Among the non-superhero movies, the Comic-Con effect was actually even more pronounced. Snow White and the Huntsman saw a 3,466% spike in interest after its Saturday panel, making it the Anticipation Index's Most Improved for the weekend … but since then, it's lost more than 98% of its buzz, sending it down to number 48. Soderbergh's Haywire debuted a trailer at the convention, and saw a 2,476% spike as a result (down almost 98% now), and Nicholas Refn's Drive shot up 1,388% after director Nicholas Winding Refn's panel discussion and the release of the film's trailer. Drive is now down 95% and out of the Anticipation Index top 50; a little worrisome, given that it comes out next month.


So, what can we conclude? Though both Amazing Spider-Man and Avengers saw big drops in their buzz in just the two weeks since Comic-Con (95% and 89% respectively), they still remain near the top of the Index, and neither is coming out until the middle of next year. They have a strong foothold in the public consciousness, which Comic-Con boosted.


More surprising was the impressive showing of Snow White and the Huntsman, which does come with a brand name and news-making, well-respected actors -- Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Eddie Izzard, and Ian McShane -- but no superheroes. The film has been at the center of a rivalry with Tarsem Singh's unnamed Snow White film, which is currently scheduled to come out a mere two-and-a-half months before Huntsman. Huntsman may have settled back from its Comic-Con high, but it has a whole year to gain momentum, and with a solid cast and a rock solid rivalry to play on, it will. 


Winner: Snow White and the Huntsman.