Wizard World Chicago Packs in Army of 68,000 Fans in 2007

While Wizard World Chicago earlier this month has come and gone, Wizard Entertainment on Monday issued a new statement.

The group announced that an army of 68,000 fans descended upon the gathering over the 3.5-day convention.

The pop-culture event was highlighted on [Aug. 11] by “The Dark Knight”.

Warner Brothers and DC Comics surprised attendees with a panel that featured Christian Bale as well as Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, director Chris Nolan and writers Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer.

Fans lined up early in the morning to be one of the lucky ones who got bracelets [to assure] them a seat. They also received T-shirts, which many wore in support of the film.

At the conclusion of a 40-minute Q&A with the stars and filmmakers, the lights went out for a look at some never-before-seen footage of “The Dark Knight”.

Fans were left chanting “one more time” for almost 10 minutes after the lights came back on.

“Wizard World Chicago was our biggest convention ever,” said vice president and associate publisher Rob Felton. “We want to say thanks to Warner Bros. for delivering an unforgettable ‘The Dark Knight’ event.”

The panel was a true convention exclusive for fans who attended. There was no way to see this on YouTube. We look forward to making every effort to try to outdo ourselves at next year’s show.”

About 800 exhibitors were on hand for the extravaganza. Next year’s Wizard World Chicago has moved from August to June 26 to 29, 2008.