“Wonder Woman 1984” was originally set to be released theatrically in June, but was pushed back to Christmas Day due to the pandemic.
Now that it seems increasingly unlikely that the majority of theatres in the U.S. will be open on Dec. 25, Warner Bros. — the studio behind the superhero sequel — has just announced a new strategy: the film will still be released on that day, both in available theatres and on the Warner-owned HBO Max streaming service.
While the film will be available to stream to American subscribers, the movie will still have a traditional theatrical release in Canada. “‘Wonder Woman 1984’ is scheduled to be released theatrically in Canada on Dec. 25, and will stream on Crave following its standard theatrical windows,” a rep for the studio tells ET Canada.
“As we navigate these unprecedented times, we’ve had to be innovative in keeping our businesses moving forward while continuing to super-serve our fans,” said Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures.
“This is an amazing film that really comes to life on the big screen and, working with our partners in the exhibition community, we will provide that option to consumers in the U.S. where theatres are open,” Sarnoff continued. “We realize that a lot of consumers can’t go back to the movies due to the pandemic, so we also want to give them the option to see ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ via our HBO Max platform.”
Added Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group: “We appreciate how patient audiences have been and given the great anticipation around Wonder Woman 1984 we are grateful to be able to make this terrifically entertaining movie widely available in these challenging times.”
RELATED: Patty Jenkins Says She Can’t ‘Be Confident’ Of A ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Christmas Release
“Wonder Woman 1984” director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot both issued statements via Twitter.
“At some point you have to choose to share any love and joy you have to give, over everything else,” wrote Jenkins. “We love our movie 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.”
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) November 18, 2020
In her message, Gadot writes, “It wasn’t an easy decision and we never thought we’d have to hold onto the release for such a long time,” adding, “We’ve put our hearts and souls into” the movie.
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) November 19, 2020
“Wonder Woman 1984” has been one of 2020’s most anticipated movies, the sequel to the highest-grossing movie in history to be helmed by a female director, with a worldwide box-office gross of more than $820 million.
