Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that their long delayed blockbuster “Wonder Woman 1984” will indeed be coming out Christmas Day.
However there’s a new wrinkle – the film will be released both in U.S. cinemas and on HBO Max on that day. Internationally, where HBO Max is not available, the film will open in cinemas on December 16th.
The HBO Max release will also be at no additional charge (ala “Soul,” “Onward”) as opposed to a ‘Premier Access’ style deal (ala “Mulan”), but it will run for a limited time – one month. Director Patty Jenkins has offered a statement explaining the choice:
“The time has come. At some point you have to choose to share any love and joy you have to give, over everything else. We love our move as we love our fans, so we truly hope that our film brings a little bit of joy and reprieve to all of you this holiday season.
What it in theaters, where it is made safe to do so (check out the great work theaters have done to make it so!) And available in the safety of your home on HBO Max where it is not. Happy holidays to all of you. We hope you enjoy our film as much as we enjoyed making it.”
While it’s not unprecedented for a major movie to debut simultaneously on home entertainment and in cinemas, none have been a film on this scale. This obviously opens the question of whether other major delayed tentpoles like “No Time to Die” and “Dune” will follow.
The unconventional release plan comes as 50% of U.S. theaters remain closed, including major moviegoing markets like New York and Los Angeles. In addition many moviegoers still hesitant to go to cinemas. Check out a just released new trailer below.
Source: Variety