At a time when in-person events are canceled until further notice, finding ways to enliven consumers in the age of coronavirus can be tricky. Yet Warner Bros. did just that when it celebrated DC properties across film and television at DC FanDome, a two-part live-streamed convention that super-served loyal comic fans and influencers from around the world through hours of free content including panels, premieres, masterclasses and after-parties, plus shoppable merchandise.
On August 22, Warner Bros, kicked off DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes, an eight-hour event live-streamed on DCFanDome.com, which over the course of 24 hours repeated three times to give fans everywhere a chance to watch.
Warner Bros. announced the event over two weeks in advance with a TikTok challenge called #DCSuitUp. Each video featured a different celebrity comic character—including The Rock, Gal Gadot and Javicia Leslie, to name a few—whose covering of the camera lens with their hand prompts fans in cosplay to appear as that celebrity’s character.
The studio says DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes drew in 22 million views across 220 countries and territories over its 24-hour run, Variety reports.
Part two of the virtual experience, DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse, which debuted on September 12, was once again all about the fans. Available for 24 hours after premiering, the over 100 hours of on-demand programming included panels, an escape room, original content, fan art and masterclasses from talent across DC television, film, publishing and games.
Other immersive experiences at Multiverse included a chance for fans to create their dream ride with the new 2021 Chevy Trailblazer; vote for their favorite fan art, and cosplay and fandom finalists; and tweet reactions to DC FanDome in real time.
Warner Bros. even made it a point to enhance attendees’ customer service experience. In fact, the company created a separate Twitter account named @DCFanDomeHelp solely to answer fans’ questions about the event. Similarly, to make it accessible to people in different countries, videos were subtitled into nine languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.
Warner Bros. also created a merch site, which feels like an online mega-mall for DC FanDome fans. The store features graphic t-shirts featuring comic cover art, DC FanDome-inspired Lego sets, all the DC movies and shows, in addition to DC collections from Uniqlo, Hot Topic and Eleven by Venus Williams.
Like with any virtual event, the Multiverse activation wasn’t without snags. Upon trying to access panels on launch day, many viewers received 502 Bad Gateway errors and took to Twitter to express their frustration.
The event ended with yet another interactive experience designed to entertain fans—an Instagram live version of the second annual “Blerd and Boujee” Hall of Heroes after-party hosted by DJ D-Nice, who also co-moderated a panel celebrating women of color in the DC universe.
