San Diego Comic-Con and Hollywood go back a long way. SDCC has always featured movies and TV in its media mix, and has served as the launching point for the wave of pop culture enthusiasm that drove comics into the center of the global entertainment, technology, media and licensing industry over the last two decades. Now that that wave is crashing on the rocks of Hollywood’s turmoil, how will the landmark event, celebrating its 52nd edition, adapt?

That’s the question that hangs over this year’s edition of SDCC as hundreds of thousands of fans and industry professionals make the pilgrimage to San Diego amid concerns about writer and actor strikes, cancellations of a slew of announced appearances, and announcements that big studios like Marvel, Universal, Netflix NFLX , Sony and HBO would be skipping the show.

Reflecting the paucity of marquee attractions this year, the massive Hall H, where the relationship between comics and Hollywood is consummated in public to the delight of thousands of fans, sits empty for much of the event. Even when open, it is not hosting the kind of star-studded fare that keeps fans lined up for days in tents and along the harbor path. Since the SAG/AFTRA strike vote last Thursday, several of the remaining high-profile panels, including for Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys spinoff Gen V, cancelled, leaving further gaps in the schedule. That has created a situation that has led some attendees and media, including Variety, to declare the show was facing an “existential threat.”

This isn’t the news that Comic-Con wants or needs as the nonprofit organization struggles to come back from the cancelation of two San Diego Comic-Cons and two Wondercons during the pandemic, a scaled down Special Edition over Thanksgiving, 2021, and Comic-Con’s return last summer with the shadow of COVID still spooking many exhibitors and attendees.

David Glanzer, Comic-Con Chief Communication and Strategy Officer, emphasized that despite the circumstances, the organization is leaning into the things that it can control, such as the quality of the fan experience, depth of programming beyond the big media appearances, a diverse and vibrant exhibit hall, and a welcoming (if chaotic) environment for the industry and community to meet in person.

“We're not trying to be cagey on the labor situation and the strike,” said Glanzer in a phone interview conducted before the SAG/AFTRA strike took effect. “But the truth of the matter is, we can't forecast. We don't have any other information than most people have. I think we're rolling with it as best we can, and we put out a statement that said we hope the situation resolves itself so people can get back to doing what they love. Nobody wants to be in a situation like this. But there are issues that need to be resolved and we hope that they can resolve them soon so that we can all enjoy the fruits, which are wonderful.”

Asked about the possibility labor actions disrupting the show with pickets and protests, Glanzer said, “without getting into the specifics, I think there’s some misunderstanding of the stuff regarding pickets, and this was never a concern.”

On the issue of studios opting to skip the show, Glanzer agreed that some of that might be symptomatic of bigger challenges facing Hollywood around box office and streaming, as well as the convergence of two major strikes by writers and actors. “Studios who come to Comic-Con want to put their best foot forward. They have to have the resources to make a good presentation and a good appearance for the fans. Nobody wants to put up a half-hearted effort, and instead of coming here with something that falls short of what they want to present, some will opt out. It happens every year.”

The importance of the of big studios’ presence at Comic-Con is largely a matter of fan perception and expectations, as well as hype from media who see the show exclusively through the lens of Hollywood star power. Many long-timers are secretly – or not-so-secretly – relieved that the volume might be notched down a bit from the “Peak Geek” years of endless hype and star power. A convention less dominated by Hollywood lets actual comics and individual creators shine, and makes for a more traditional convention experience. Glanzer pointed out that demand for badges still wildly exceeds the capacity of the San Diego Convention Center no matter who decides to set up in Hall H or skip a year, and gaps in the exhibit hall floor are quickly filled from the long waitlist. This year, for example, DC Comics will reclaim its spot at Comic-Con after several years of conspicuous absence, although its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery WBD will not.

The tangible lingering effects of the pandemic on Comic-Con remain in the economies that SDCC has temporarily instituted to address the massive financial impact of the missed shows. In 2019, Comic-Con reported nearly $27 million cash on hand. In 2021, the most recent tax filing, that number had dropped more than 50%. Glanzer said last year’s Special Edition, Comic-Con and WonderCon went some way toward getting the organization back on a firm footing. One area where the event will definitely be on firm footing is in the exhibit hall, as carpeting is one of the usual luxuries that will go missing again this year. Pack comfy shoes, folks!

Glanzer said one issue with last year’s show is that most attendees had purchased their badges in 2019, but the organization had to pay out expenses at 2022 prices. “We were very grateful that a majority of people opted not to refund their tickets and just roll them over until they had an in-person show,” he said, but noted the downside is that inflation had eroded the buying power of those prepayments. That kept even a successful event from fully refilling the organization’s coffers.

“The new badge sales for [2023] went very, very well, and I so we're well on our way back,” he said. “My hope is that when we have badge sales at the end of this year for 2024 that we'll see the same and, in a couple of years, hopefully we'll be back on good footing again. We're certainly well on our way.”

The risk, of course, is that fans may take note of the absence of big entertainment headliners at this year’s show and not be as quick to snap up the badges when they go on sale again. There are already rumblings of discontent on fan attendee forums, where larger than usual numbers of badge holders are inquiring about refunds and transfers.

Rain or shine, strikes or no, Comic-Con plans to solider on and the team is looking forward to four days of non-stop action. Unlike last year, when the organization’s staff was still finding its game-day form after two years away from mounting a major show, Glanzer says this year, everyone is raring to go. “We're all very excited. It should be a lot of fun. It'll be great again to be with the community, to be with people at the Convention Center.”