What was an awesome experience did not have its repercussions. On the first official night of Comic-Con in San Diego, The BUZZ had the chance to attend the Hall H Panel for, “Deadpool & Wolverine: A Celebration of Life.” Fans were looking to score a winning email confirmation stating they were selected to attend this highly anticipated event. It was previously stated that those who were in Hall H prior to the event would need to exit Hall H and stand in line to enter, or re-enter, the building. Those who received email confirmations needed to show this to staff to prove they won. However, this went awry.
The line to enter Hall H for this special event extended all the past the Marriott Marina and looped around again, which seemed to be normal for some fans while others found it very annoying. While it did not seem to be too much direction as to what was happening, one thing that some fans stated that some entered that did NOT receive an email confirmation. As this would be confirmed later, leading up to this was even a bit more confusing.
After a line break, we were confused as we were all initially told to move over and shift to the opposite side, and this led to some complain about people line cut and went ahead of others that have been standing there for several hours. As the line proceeded to move at a faster pace, we were able to get inside the venue just as soon as…the movie started.
YES! We saw a screening of the movie in Hall H, and it was fantastic. So many surprising moments that we experienced. Fans were given a Wolverine popcorn bucket (with a water bottle inside), and popcorn.
No spoilers, but this was such a wild ride in the best way possible.
Now, this is where it gets frustrating. As previously mentioned, fans lined up who did not have email confirmations stating they were able to attend. We found this out when we got to the front of the line when we noticed that staff were not checking emails. So, if they were checking as we were told, staff mentioned they removed fans from out of the line for not having an email confirmation. I can attest that they did NOT check my email confirmation at all, as well as others in front and behind me.
Fans took to social media to express their anger for not being able to get into the panel. One stated that they waited for 3 hours, and the line was capped and told them that they were not allowed in. Others stated how they felt this was disorganized to the Nth degree, because they had let in fans who did not have email confirmations while they did.
One of the ways we hoped this could have helped was having someone go through the line to scan their badges. Another suggested we should have all gotten a specific wristband so staff would know who was there for the panel.
While this was not handled in the best way possible, the outcome was that this was enjoyable. Hopefully, this will be handled better next year and thereafter.
Were you there at Hall H for the “Deadpool & Wolverine” panel? What did you think about it as well as how the Hall H line was handled?
