Tens of thousands of fans, many dressed in elaborate cosplay, swarmed the San Diego Convention Center on Thursday as Comic-Con International 2025 kicked off with movie updates, celebrity sightings, and immersive experiences that stretched across the city.
Among the hottest attractions was “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”, which brought a swarm of horror fans to Hall H. The sequel to the 2023 smash hit comes with more murderous animatronics and more Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza franchises than ever.
“It has three times the number of animatronics as the first,” said director Emma Tammi. Piper Rubio, who returns for the sequel, revealed that while the bots look huggable, they weren’t always safe on set. “Fingers falling off or the occasional fox catching fire” were not uncommon.
Josh Hutcherson is also back, and newcomer Teo Briones, a longtime fan of the game, joins the cast. “It’s really special to be part of something that’s meant so much to my generation,” he said. The film releases on December 5.
From cult B-movie to Hall H spotlight, the reboot of 1984’s “The Toxic Avenger” is finally getting its moment. Long considered unreleasable due to its graphic, absurdly gory violence, the movie has now been picked up for an unrated wide release by Cineverse on August 29.
Director Macon Blair said some elements were non-negotiable: “He had to have a tutu. He had to have a mop. No CGI.”
Peter Dinklage plays the titular hero in his pre-toxic form and voices him throughout. He was joined onstage by castmates Elijah Wood, Taylour Paige and Jacob Tremblay. As questions flooded in, mostly for Dinklage, he joked: “There are other people up here! Ever seen Lord of the Rings?! I wasn’t in that!”
Wood, sitting beside him, couldn’t stop laughing.
Sci-fi fans weren’t left behind. Updates were shared on FX’s upcoming “Alien: Earth” series and the new film “Predator: Badlands,” starring Elle Fanning.
“Alien: Earth,” releasing next month, comes with a massive interactive experience in San Diego, including a replica spacecraft and a terrifying night mission through Xenomorph territory.
Meanwhile, Star Wars creator George Lucas will make his first-ever Comic-Con appearance on Sunday, ahead of the launch of his long-awaited Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles next year.
Comedians Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and Jo Koy took over Hall H to promote their 2026 comedy stadium show at SoFi, and fans were loving it.
The two joked about inspirations (Iglesias cited his mother, prompting Koy to regret choosing Eddie Murphy), their fanbases, and what to expect: 90-minute sets each, tailgating, special guests, and full-day chaos.
They ended their panel by giving away autographed Funko Pop figures of themselves and snapping a selfie with the crowd. “We’re not Coldplay,” Iglesias joked, referencing the viral kiss-cam scandal from a recent concert. “If you’re here with someone you shouldn’t be… good luck.”
As always, Comic-Con’s massive 460,000-square-foot exhibitor floor offered exclusive collectibles, comic art, and elaborate displays from Lego, Star Wars, Nickelodeon, Paramount and more.
Marvel Studios may be skipping big reveals this year, but fans can still visit the “Fantastic Four: First Steps” activation nearby, teasing Friday’s reboot launch of Marvel’s original superhero family.
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