Warner Bros. Sets Wonder Woman 1984 for HBO Max & Theatrical Debut

After recent rumors swirled that the studio may be exploring a streaming debut for the highly-anticipated DC Extended Universe sequel, it’s been revealed that Warner Bros. is officially setting Wonder Woman 1984 for a simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release this year.

We’re thrilled to bring Wonder Woman 1984 to you this Christmas – in theaters and on @hbomax. Here’s our CEO, Jason Kilar, on this unprecedented decision for unprecedented times: https://t.co/HrJF3uUmtM pic.twitter.com/f9U7A7vFjk

— WarnerMedia (@WarnerMedia) November 19, 2020

“We appreciate how patient audiences have been and given the great anticipation around Wonder Woman 1984 we are grateful to be able to make this terrifically entertaining movie widely available in these challenging times,” Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said in a statement

With approximately 50 percent of theaters in the United States still out of operation due to the global pandemic, most notably major markets New York and Los Angeles, the studio elected to not solely rely on the box office numbers to recoup their $200 million after Christopher Nolan’s Tenet failed to break even and will reportedly lose the studio millions of dollars. WW84 is still set to debut in the U.S. on Christmas Day on HBO Max for a month with no extra charge to subscribers and in theaters while being slated to hit theaters overseas on December 16.

“As we navigate these unprecedented times, we’ve had to be innovative in keeping our businesses moving forward while continuing to super-serve our fans,” Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures, said in a statement. “This is an amazing film that really comes to life on the big screen and, working with our partners in the exhibition community, we will provide that option to consumers in the U.S. where theaters are open. We realize that a lot of consumers can’t go back to the movies due to the pandemic, so we also want to give them the option to see Wonder Woman 1984 via our HBO Max platform.”

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. With director Patty Jenkins back at the helm and Gal Gadot returning in the title role, Wonder Woman 1984 is Warner Bros. Pictures’ follow up to the DC Super Hero’s first outing, 2017’s record-breaking Wonder Woman.

The film also stars Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, Robin Wright as Antiope, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta. Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, and Stephen Jones are producing the film. Rebecca Steel Roven Oakley, Richard Suckle, Marianne Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, and Wesley Coller are the executive producers. Patty Jenkins directed from a screenplay she wrote with Geoff Johns & David Callaham, story by Jenkins & Johns, based on characters from DC.

The sequel was originally intended to be released in 2019 but was then delayed to June 5, 2020. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, the film was then pushed back to two times to August and October before finally landing on its current December 25, 2020 release.