Daniel Craig as Jake Lonergan in "Cowboys & Aliens."

How will ‘Cowboys and Aliens’ & co. fare after Comic-Con?

LOS ANGELES — Almost every movie can feel like a blockbuster-in-waiting at Comic-Con International, that magical place where studios can always turn for a validation fix. With thousands of people cheering and taking cell phone pictures, how can it not?

Of course, a movie’s reception at the just-concluded convention isn’t always predictive of box-office performance; "Avatar," for instance, drew a mixed reaction there last year while "Kick-Ass" played extremely well only to struggle upon its release. But with so much attention paid to the event by both fans and studios, the dynamic inside the convention’s Hall H can offer a glimpse into the fate of many movies. With that in mind, here’s a look at how some of them fared.

• "Sucker Punch"

• Pre-Con status: Zack Snyder could do no wrong after "300." Then he did "Watchmen." His new film, a female-heavy action film set in an alternative reality, came into San Diego in an uncertain place.
• The play: Emphasize the "300"-esque stylized violence — and the bombshell female cast, as about a half-dozen of the actresses joined Snyder on stage for a panel.
• The payoff: The footage sometimes looked as slick and kinetic as "300," and this could be the rare Snyder film that brings in women. But though fanboys always like a whip-snapping heroine, the panel might have played a little too pink-hearts-and-rainbows to snag the all-important young-male demo.

• "The Expendables"

• Pre-Con status: Growing interest in the uber-macho but demographically diverse cast (Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Bruce Willis cover it pretty nicely) puts this film in a good spot before the convention doors ever opened.
• The play: Let Sylvester Stallone come out and roughhouse with half a dozen members of the cast, showing that, as muscle-tough as they are in the movie, beneath all that man talk they’re just a bunch of fun-loving, softhearted guys.
• The payoff: One of the convention’s most brilliant positionings. The panel won’t win any awards from Mensa (lots of stories about who broke whose neck on set) but it won’t matter: "The Expendables" ("Explodables"?) is destined to open big.

• "The Green Hornet"

• Pre-Con status: Questions about Seth Rogen’s ability to pull off the superhero character — not to mention similar questions about the film’s tone — have bedeviled this serio-comic take on the radio and TV character for a while.
• The play: Let Rogen trot out his stoner persona and lock down the slacker segment of the "Knocked Up" crowd, while simultaneously redefining him as a swaggering hero.
• The payoff: The panel was vexed by the same problem as the trailer: the inability to choose, or find the right space, between playful comedy and the more serious business of superhero mythology.

• "Cowboys and Aliens"

• Pre-Con status: Intense interest in Jon Favreau, the original graphic novel and the genre-jumping premise overcame some early distaste caused by Robert Downey Jr. jumping ship.
• The play: Emphasize the Harrison Ford of it all (the actor made his first Comic-Con appearance), let the panelists say very little and allow the hybrid-y extended footage (atmospheric period western turns into an explosion-heavy UFO-attack movie) do the talking.
• The payoff: The footage was compelling and different enough from anything else that plays Comic-Con (or the multiplex) to suggest a bright future. There was also plenty of good feeling from Ford’s presence, though that’s precisely the kind of Comic-Con moment that’s long forgotten by the time a film comes out.

• "Let Me In"

• Pre-Con status: Skepticism about the need for a remake of the Swedish original, coupled with a dark cloud caused by the uncertain state of distributor Overture Films, made the vampire film the most wobbly of Comic-Con horses.
• The play: Let director Matt Reeves, embraced by this crowd because of "Cloverfield" and his J.J. Abrams connection, show footage that goes beyond the generic horror scenes of the trailer.
• The payoff: The early-afternoon slot wasn’t ideal, and we didn’t hear enough from current (H)it-Girl Chloe Moretz. But the mood-driven footage was embraced as a lot smarter and truer to the original than the trailer suggested. The needle may be moving.

• "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"

• Pre-Con status: Plenty of goodwill for the graphic novel and for Michael Cera.
• The play: Go all out, with a fan-friendly Scott Pilgrim "universe" and an off-site screening of the film.
• The payoff: The blitz raised the level of awareness and excitement as the film became the convention’s go-to pop pleasure. But it remains to be seen how that reaction will translate outside the convention bubble.

• "Thor"

• Pre-Con status: Interest in an expanding Marvel universe was counteracted by questions about how the Norse god would fit into said universe, and if art house director Kenneth Branagh is the right man for the job.
• The play: Let Branagh explain his case and throw in the eye candy of Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, while premiering a piece of extended footage.
• The payoff: One of the more divisive of Hall H presentations. There was, superficially, a consensus that the movie had the goods, but it was impossible not to hear the dissenting voices questioning the histrionic costume drama of the film’s exposition and the generic explosions that followed.

• "Tron: Legacy"

• Pre-Con status: Two straight years of "Tron" teasers at Comic-Con primed the pump before a single frame was shown this year. But will that be enough to get a lot of people excited about a sequel to a 28-year-old cult movie?
• The play: Appeal to nostalgia — a clip montage of pop-cultural references for the original, talk about Jeff Bridges appearing at both his 2010 and 1982 ages (via digital effects), an onstage appearance from original director Steven Lisberger.
• The payoff: Questions remain as to whether the previous movie is sufficiently beloved to jump-start interest in a sequel. But Disney did what it needed to — the footage was solid, the fans were eager, and the December movie is well-positioned.