Wonder Woman 1984: HBO Max release a possibility after short run in theaters

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

It was bound to come to this. WONDER WOMAN 1984 has been shuffled on the calendar many times due to the global pandemic and during all of these changes, a streaming release has been rumored to be not an option for Warner Bros. As the film moved along the release date calendar, WONDER WOMAN 1984 never seemed like a sure thing no matter what new date that it hit and now it seems the studio may be finally caving on a release pattern that it has previously rejected.

Six weeks before the Gal Gadot-fronted film is supposed to open on Christmas Day, Warner Bros. execs, as reported first by "Variety", are considering whether to push the film to the summer of 2021 or keep the film as a present for moviegoers on Christmas Day and then put it on the HBO Max streaming service in early January. This option is being strongly considered because COVID-19 cases continue to spike at alarming rates across the country and this means that movie theaters are in the line of fire. Los Angeles and New York City theaters remain shuttered and without this market in play, it makes opening a film like WONDER WOMAN 1984 a daunting notion because a lot of money will be left on the table without these locations being a factor. For the theater locations that are open at limited capacity, the fear of another widespread shutdown is something that the studio can't ignore. Although many scientists believe a nationwide lockdown is something that won't happen in the States as it did back in March, they do believe that more strict restrictions could be put in place for indoor activities. This would include movie theaters that are currently open which would further handicap the film's chances of turning any kind of profit.

If the studio goes with a limited theatrical run beginning on December 25, 2020, and then a shift to HBO MAX in January, it could offer some support to exhibitors that are barely surviving as the year comes to a close and it could boost subscriber growth for HBO MAX. Although the streamer is not considered a failure, it has been noted that it has struggled to build an audience large enough to compete against Netflix, Amazon, and Disney Plus. During its third quarter, it was reported that HBO Max had 8.6 million total activations, with 38 million subscribers to HBO and HBO Max combined. These numbers have exceeded expectations for the year but it still trails its competitors by a significant margin. If they were to place a must-see blockbuster like WONDER WOMAN 1984 on the service, it would be the streamer's biggest draw to date. 

Warner Bros. is also mulling this all over because they tested releasing a big-budget tentpole release during the pandemic with Christopher Nolan's TENET and the results have been mixed at best. While the film has grossed $350.8 million globally to date, only $55.1 million of that has come from the domestic front which has largely been seen as a disappointment by those in the industry due to its $200 million budget. Its domestic total is what the film may have opened to during a normal time at the box office and Warner Bros. likely feels it wasn't the best move, in hindsight, to push TENET out there when movie theaters were pretty much of life support. WONDER WOMAN 1984 was expected to be a billion-dollar worldwide earner at the box office and any theatrical release next month would not bring the film to those heights. News of the COVID-19 vaccine which appears to be very promising from all of those in the know is the main reason that the studio is also considering shifting the film to the summer of 2021 because that could be the time that things will be close to normal at the box office if all goes to plan. 

What do YOU think Warner Bros. should do? Is a WONDER WOMAN 1984 HBO Max debut a good thing?