Patty Jenkins wasn’t a fan of Wonder Woman 1984’s HBO Max release

Back in December of 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 became the first of Warner Bros.’ film slate to experiment with a simultaneous streaming and theatrical release. The DC Comics sequel had been delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it appeared that the powers that be believed that it couldn’t be delayed anymore and this was the last and only option to get the film out to the public. While it appeared that director Patty Jenkins was all for releasing Wonder Woman 1984, she’s revealing that the decision to go day-and-date with the sequel was the best decision out of a series of very poor decisions.

During a luncheon at CinemaCon, per “Deadline“, Jenkins spoke about how the decision to release Wonder Woman 1984 on streaming left her heartbroken. She went on to say that the decision to follow this release model was the best of many bad situations but it was ultimately detrimental to the film. Here is Jenkins’ full statement on the matter:

“It was the best choice in a bunch of bad choices at the moment…[it was a] heartbreaking experience. It was detrimental to the movie…I don’t think it plays the same on streaming, ever. I’m not a fan of day-and-date and I hope to avoid it forever.”

Wonder Woman 1984 went day-and-date with its release when many theaters were still shut down across the U.S. During its opening weekend, the film grossed $16.7 million which was the largest opening for any film during the pandemic at that time. Warner Bros. touted that the film’s performance on HBO Max was superb but, like most streaming services, hard numbers weren’t released to back up those claims. The choice to ultimately release the film during the pandemic as well as on HBO Max definitely affected the film’s box office totals as the sequel only managed to gross $46 million domestically and $166 million worldwide.

Jenkins, much like Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve, has been very outspoken about the importance of the theatrical experience and distribution. It was decided that Wonder Woman 1984 couldn’t be held any longer so Jenkins, and star Gal Gadot supported the decision to release the film this way even if they didn’t feel too great about it. To keep Jenkins and Gadot happy, Warner Bros. paid them bonuses before the film went to streaming to ensure they’d come back for a third film and to compensate them for not getting their normal cut of the film’s box office.

We’ll never really know how Wonder Woman 1984 would’ve performed during a healthier box office climate. Critical reviews weren’t too kind to the film compared to the first movie and fan response was also polarizing. That being said, it’s safe to say that it would’ve done much better than a $46 million finish in the U.S. and it’s becoming more and more clear that this simultaneous release strategy does impact a film’s box office potential. Wonder Woman 1984 was just the first guinea pig to test and prove this theory.

What are YOUR thoughts on what Patty Jenkins had to say about Wonder Woman 1984’s release?