Addie Morfoot for Deadline
With arguably even bigger crowds on day two, New York Comic-Con saw an increased presence of New York’s finest due to former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal’s call for a “Day of Jihad” today.
Despite the former Hamas chief’s call for a global “Day of Jihad,” Getty, crowds turned out for the second day of New York Comic-Con
While New York City Mayor Eric Adams tweeted, “There are no credible or specific threats against our city at this time,” the NYPD stuck to its promise “to direct resources to sensitive locations out of an abundance of caution and to ensure that all New Yorkers remain safe to distribute.”, says a press release on Friday.
TriStar Pictures and Spyglass Media have exercised extreme caution today and canceled tonight’s Eli Roth-led panel discussion for his horror film “Thanksgiving.” While a source told us that the last-minute cancellation was due to a “scheduling issue,” filmmaker Roth and the pic’s EP, Spyglass boss Gary Barber, signed the Creative Community for Peace open letter yesterday calling for the entertainment community was called upon to speak out forcefully against Hamas and in support of Israel. “This is not the right climate to screen a horror film at a public convention,” a source told Us about the picture’s withdrawal from NYCC.
Addie Morfoot/Deadline
Today’s force at NYCC included a line of six armed police officers with semi-automatic weapons stationed at the 11th Avenue entrance to the Confab HQ Javits Center between 34th and 35th Streets; A sight not seen on the first day yesterday. The guards were on site this morning and had already left by early afternoon. Several NYPD vans, cars and vehicles continued to surround the convention center throughout the afternoon.
Addie Morfoot/Deadline
Meanwhile, amidst the crowds, sheriffs began to inspect individual rooms on the fourth floor.
One attendee in the room called the mob scene today “chaotic,” while another exclaimed that today’s NYCC event “felt like I was going to a crowded amusement park,” with throngs of people lining 11th Avenue cross and flow into the Javits. New York Comic-Con reportedly attracts 200,000 attendees each year.
Adams previously urged, “If New Yorkers see something, we ask you to say something.”