Last Sunday, July 10, at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, the Stranger Fan Meet 5 convention was held, a meeting between fans of Strange things and the actors of the Netflix series, Millie Bobby Brown (who plays Eleven) and Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), who attended for the occasion.
A great moment of joy for the (young) fans who came there to get closer to their idols. And a hard blow to the wallet of the parents who had to pay several hundred euros to access the event and pay for the signing sessions, according to what they say the parisian in a video report. Just for a “General Access Pass”, fans from all over France and, for some, from Belgium, had to pay 139 euros.
140 euros for a photo with Millie Bobby Brown
Having obtained the expensive sesame, it was necessary to pay 140 euros for a photo with Millie Bobby Brown, only 90 euros for Noah Schnapp and 105 euros for an autograph of the young actress. Some families had thus spent up to 1,000 euros for the event.
If the practice has anything to tickle, especially with such young fans, it is common in the United States, where it is the lot of all fan conventions. In 2016, the huff post He was already investigating the matter, on the occasion of the Paris Comic Con, created in 2009, and pointed out that autographs and photos were charged there. Paid autographs then made a timid appearance in France. So it was necessary to pay 15 euros for an autograph with Dominic Purcell, the actor from Prison Break o 19 euros for a signature of Mike Colter, hero of the Marvel series luke cage.
In 2015, the hollywood reporter He also mentioned the price of an autograph from Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), $125, or Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), $70, at these types of conventions. And he pointed out that most comics and pop culture conventions charge for signing sessions, not particularly bothering fans willing to do anything to meet their idols.
well established system
The system is well established across the Atlantic and has been around since the 1970s, recalls Télérama. As described in a 2015 survey conducted by the same hollywood Reporter, in actors’ earnings, some stars, like Norman Reedus, stars of The Walking DeadMark Hamill, or even Matt Smith who embodied doctor who You could then earn between $200,000 and $500,000 for a convention weekend.
“If someone wanted to go to a convention every weekend, they could earn more than their acting fees,” explained Arrow star Stephen Amell.
In 2016, Pierre-Yves Binctin, director of Comic Con 2016, emphasized to the huff post that “collecting autographs and photos is a practice that has been going on for several years in comic-con around the world” and that France was then an “exception”. Now it is definitively surpassed. The Paris Manga Sci-fi Show, whose next edition is held in December 2022, also offers “Meet and Greet” (meetings with artists) and paying signatures and photo sessions, the price of which “varies depending on the guest.” Parents have not finished paying to please their children.
Source: BFM TV
