Whilst a standalone Christmas release is most likely out of the question, it seems that the studio is still exploring options that would see Wonder Woman 84 keep that Christmas Day theatrical opening. The two options reportedly favoured by the studio (as reported by Variety) are either push the film back to July 2021 (the month where the first film launched to an $800m impressive worldwide gross) or keep that Christmas Day date and open to a cinematic landscape where WW84 is virtually the only film for audiences to see. Then to quickly move to an early-January streaming release, in the US at least, on the studio’s HBO Max streaming service.
If Warner Bros do go with the latter approach, it would be another risky gambit from the studio following its rolling of the dice with Tenet. Whilst the move could bring subscribers flocking to its HBO Max platform, which has been struggling to attain a subscriber base to compete with its streaming rivals, it would also potentially be sacrificing what could be a billion dollar-grossing movie. That’s why the July 2021 release still looks tempting too.
There are of course other factors to consider as well, such as an overly crowded summer 2021 schedule and of course, exhibitors who might be happy to take a reduced theatrical window for the film now, simply to drive admissions through December. There’s also the small matter of European cinemas being largely closed, with little confidence that the spate of lockdowns on the continent will have enough of an effect for exhibitors to open once more in time for Christmas, meaning a potentially staggered global release for the film.
Still, the fact that Warner Bros refuses to be rushed into a hasty decision is certainly a positive, and should it elect for a release that in turn supports cinemas, that will be a positive story amidst much of the downbeat news we’ve had to endure of late.
Following its much-discussed Tenet release strategy, should the studio release Wonder Woman 84 this side of Christmas, Warner Bros. would certainly emerge from 2020 with an enhanced reputation as the major that supported exhibitors throughout a year of crisis. More news on this story as it unfolds.
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