The past 6 or so months have been fraught for the movie industry. Theaters closed, then opened and closed again. Movies started shifting months or even years. Some films made the leap to VOD, in the process ushering in a new price point for day-and-date releases. Other movies made surprise premieres on streaming platforms. Even Disney switch things up by combining the two efforts, because they own half of everything. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman 1984 stayed pat. Clinging to the idea that it would be on silver screens by Christmas. Which remains partially true.
After months of speculation, hemming and hawing, as well as general silence, Warner Bros decided that Wonder Woman belongs to everyone. Well, more so that eve inryone will have the chance to view Wonder Woman 1984 however they see fit. In addition to still landing in theaters that are open, the film will premiere streaming-wise exclusively on HBOMax. The idea being that, with it’s increased monthly subscription price ($15.99), will be a boom for business, regardless of which direction fans go
“At some point you have to choose to share any love and joy you have to give, over everything else,” director & co-writer Party Jenkins said on Twitter Wednesday evening. “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.”
Wonder Woman 1984 was one of the most anticipated films of the year. The pairing of Jenkins and star Gal Gadot helped catapult the 2017 film into a huge box office success. Bringing the two back together, while adding the likes of Pedro Pascal & Kristin Wiig into the mix, helps bolster this being a fantastic follow up.
Here’s the official film synopsis:
“Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.”
The move is something of a coup. Above, Disney’s handling of Mulan was mentioned. The idea of plopping down extra money, ontop of a subscription is silly. Having HBOMax take on tht at home side of things, it creates a veritable win-win. Specially if Warner is ok taking the box office hit. With foreign countries not having HBOMax yet, but open theaters, it’s a decision made by a studio that’s studying the long game. By giving up a little bit now, so it can win in the future. Bring in new subscribers with Wonder Woman 1984 and keep them with the future promise of Justice League – The Snyder Cut. Or at least it would appear that way.
All that matters, is come December 25 people will have the ability to watch one of the year’s biggest films. In whichever setting is most comfortable to them. That seems like something of a big win, in 2020.
