Warner Bros. Pictures has officially postponed the release of “Wonder Woman 1984,” pushing back the film yet again – this time from its current October 2nd release to a Christmas Day opening. Warners still has “Dune” scheduled for December 18th, but will almost certainly push that back into 2021 as well.
The delay comes hot on the heels of the disappointing opening of “Tenet” over the Labor Day holiday weekend, Chris Nolan’s film pulling in half the COVID-19 adjusted estimates that were floated by box-office predictors.
As the film has little competition for a while, the studio aims to keep it in cinemas longer and eventually earn its money back, but the underperformance of “Tenet” has certainly played a part in this decision.
Toby Emmerich, Warmer Bros. Motion Picture Group chairman says in a statement: “Patty is an exceptional filmmaker and with ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ she has delivered an incredibly dynamic film that moviegoers of all ages around the world will absolutely love. We’re very proud of the film and look forward to bringing it to audiences for the holidays.”
Director Patty Jenkins adds: “First and foremost let me say how much Gal and I love all our devoted Wonder Woman fans around the world, and your excitement for ‘WW84’ couldn’t make us happier or more eager for you to see the movie. Because I know how important it is to bring this movie to you on a big screen when all of us can share the experience together, I’m hopeful you won’t mind waiting just a little bit longer. With the new date on Christmas Day, we can’t wait to spend the holidays with you!”
Nearly 70% of movie theaters in the U.S. have reopened, but key markets like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco remain closed bar the odd drive-in. Due to this delay, the next major film release is “Black Widow” in two months on November 6th followed immediately after by “No Time to Die”.
The Bond film seems set for now, and that franchise earns only a small fraction of its earnings from the U.S. box-office so will be less affected. The Marvel Studios film… we have to wait and see.
Source: Variety