There’s a singular Comic-Con that I do my best to go to every single year, and that show is C2E2, or the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. I first went to this show during my college days in Chicago, and it’s what helped get me into making comics (among other things) and wanting to be at as many shows as possible. C2E2 2025 was this past weekend, and it was a blast. But, as a new press release revealed to me, it was also a record-setting weekend for the crew at ReedPop (who are the showrunners for this event and others).
They revealed that C2E2 2025 had a record-setting attendance of 100,000 people across the three days of its show! Not only that, but the show apparently generated around $17 million in revenue for the city of Chicago! That’s pretty cool. Oh, and naturally, the ReedPop team is happy with how everything went this year:
“Witnessing C2E2’s remarkable journey over 16 years, right here in the vibrant core of Chicago’s pop culture scene, has been truly astounding and we are incredibly proud to confirm that this was our biggest C2E2 yet with 100,000 attendees over three days,” said Kristina Rogers, VP of ReedPop US Comics Portfolio and Star Wars Celebration. “We love creating engaging experiences where cherished celebrities, emerging and established comic creators, and passionate fans get the chance to come together to celebrate fandom and community.”
This year had a LOT of big guests, including five actors from The Lord of the Rings saga, an official reunion of The Breakfast Club, numerous wrestlers, many in the cast of Baldur’s Gate 3, and so much more! There were also special game shows, dedicated gaming areas, cosplay areas, and on and on it goes.
Next year, C2E2 will be on March 27th-29th, so if you think you want to be a part of that, stay tuned for ticket info! Also, if you want to see my highlights from the event, check out the tweet below:
How was my #C2E2? Well, I got to meet these three incredible people!!! So, yeah, that was fun!#AEW #njpw pic.twitter.com/gGM5zJ5lGL
— Todd Black – TBD #9 Is On Kickstarter!!! (@Guardians_Comic) April 13, 2025