Comic Con Experience 2018 has kicked off in Sao Paulo, Brazil, attracting hundreds of thousands of comic fans from all over the world. CGTN's Paulo Cabral reports from Brazil.

Organizers expect more than a quarter million visitors this year-across four days of CCXP18. That stands for Comic Con Experience 2018-billed as the biggest of its kind in the southern hemisphere. It launched in 2014 as the first major event in Brazil for fans of comic book super-heroes. There are collectibles with astonishing levels of detail and many 'cosplayers' dressed like their favorite characters. In 'Artists Alley,' 540 creators - well-known names and independent writers and illustrators - sell their work to fans. One of the co-founders says the event has experienced continuous growth since its beginning despite Brazil's struggling economy.

IVAN COSTACO-FOUNDER OF CCXP SP "Comic book fans and pop culture fans are really dedicated to their passion so they find a way to buy the clothing, to buy the collectibles. To be at shows like CCXP So in a way we are protected from the crises."

PAULO CABRALSAO PAULO "An event like this is a lot of fun for tens of thousands of fans who attend it year after year. But for some, it's also a place to look for a career in the growing geek and pop culture industry."

Brazil's Commerce Confederation Educational Service, Senac, has a stand here to publicize its professional courses related to pop culture, like makeup artistry

ISABELLE OLIVEIRA MAKEUP STUDENT "I like this a lot, to create. I help people to create their characters and to enter this fantasy world. And there's a lot of work! For TV, for movies, at events like this."

Next year, the school plans to launch a new bachelor's degree for Digital Games. Right now, they already offer a post-graduate program in game design. This game was the final assignment for SENAC students.

ALAN PEREIRA GAME DESIGN POST-GRADUATE STUDENT "Here in Brazil it's growing currently. So it's kind of hard but the right to invest on it. You have to highlight yourself, study games every day."

Entertainment is big business. The packed halls here at Sao Paulo's Comic Con Experience show the size of this industry and its potential for growth. Paulo Cabral, CGTN, Sao paulo.