The director of the “Wonder Woman” sequel wishes things could have been different.
Appearing during a luncheon at CinemaCon on Thursday, Patty Jenkins expressed her disappointment at the release strategy employed for “Wonder Woman 1984” last year, Deadline reports.
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Due to the pandemic, Warner Bros. decided in December 2020 to release the superhero film in theatres and streaming on HBO Max in the U.S. and VOD in Canada. They later decided to release their entire 2021 slate of films the same way.
“It was the best choice in a bunch of bad choices at the moment,” Jenkins recalled, calling it a “heartbreaking experience.”
Talking about the day-and-date release model, Jenkins said, “It was detrimental to the movie. I knew that could have happened.”
The film ended up grossing $46.5 million domestically and $166.5 million worldwide.
“I don’t think it plays the same on streaming, ever,” Jenkins said about the movie. “I’m not a fan of day-and-date and I hope to avoid it forever.”
She added, “I make movies for the big-screen experience.”
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Asked if she would ever consider directing a movie for streaming with a short theatrical release window, she said, “I won’t make one.”
Jenkins explain, “I like working with Netflix for television, I wouldn’t make a movie there or any streaming service with those terms. It’s hard to market a movie when it has a limited run.”
Other directors have also expressed their dismay over Warner Bros. release model in the last year, including “Dune” helmer Denis Villeneuve, who told La Presse, “From now on, I will also contractually require my films to be released exclusively in theatres.”
