In an article about Hollywood's changing perception of the annual event, The New York Times indicates that many of the studios responsible for the most anticipated upcoming films could be sitting out Comic-Con this year — and that could mean a conspicuous no-show for films like "The Dark Knight Rises" and the "Superman: Man Of Steel" reboot.

According to the report, Warner Brothers won't be bringing any films to this year's show, and neither Walt Disney Studios nor Dreamworks will have a significant presence in San Diego. In fact, the report goes on to suggest that Marvel Entertainment is still undecided regarding whether to bring "The Avengers" to Comic-Con.

The studios' reluctance to showcase their upcoming projects at Comic-Con stems from the uncertain relationship between fan response during the show and a movie or television series' likelihood of success. Citing recent films like "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World" and "Sucker Punch," which both had positive debuts at Comic-Con but performed well below expectations at the box office, the article suggests that studios don't view the event as the Hollywood bellwether it once was, and worry that the potential negatives outweigh the positives when it comes to Comic-Con presentations.

Of course, the absence of films like "The Dark Knight Rises" and the "Superman" reboot could just as easily be attributed to having quite a bit of time between now and the films' release dates. "The Dark Knight Rises" is currently scheduled to premiere July 20, 2012, just a few days before next year's Comic-Con, while the "Man Of Steel" won't hit theaters until December 2012.

As for Marvel, it will be surprising if they don't end up bringing "The Avengers" to the show in some form, as last year's Marvel presentation — which included early peeks at "Thor," "Captain America," and "The Avengers" — was one of the highlights of the convention.

As for what will be at this year's Comic-Con, you can expect a big presence for "Cowboys & Aliens," which premieres just after the show. "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" will also be there, as well as another upcoming reboot, "The Amazing Spider-Man" (which doesn't premiere until 2012).

Comic-Con runs July 21-24 this year in San Diego. Keep it locked to MTV Splash Page for more Comic-Con 2011 news as it develops.

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