Warner Bros. has announced that it is delivering a rather exciting Christmas present for HBO Max subscribers, with the DC Films’ sequel Wonder Woman 1984 set to premiere on the streaming service on December 25th, as well as screening in any theaters which remain open amid the global health crisis.
The Gal Gadot-headlined sequel had already shifted release dates several times due to the pandemic, but with a second wave affecting much of the world the studio has now decided to abandon its plans for a traditional release – at least in those markets where HBO Max is available. The film will be made available to subscribers at no extra cost, and will remain on the streaming service for a month from Christmas Day, while releasing internationally in markets without HBO Max from December 16th.
“The time has come,” said director Patty Jenkins. “At some point you have to choose to share any love and joy you have to give, over everything else. We love our move 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. Watch it in theaters, where it is made safe to do so (check out the great work theaters have done to make it so!) And available in the safety of your home on HBO Max where it is not. Happy holidays to all of you. We hope you enjoy our film as much as we enjoyed making it.”
“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,” said Ann Sarnoff, chairman and CEO of WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group. “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.”
“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,” added Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group.
Wonder Woman 1984 reunites Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins with stars Gal Gadot (Diana Prince), Chris Pine (Steve Trevor), Ewen Bremner (Charlie), Said Taghmaoui (Sameer), Connie Nielsen (Queen Hippolyta), Robin Wright (General Antiope), Lisa Loven Kongsli (Menalippe), Doutzen Kroes (Venelia) and new additions Kristen Wiig (Ghostbusters) as Barbara Ann Minerva/Cheetah, Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) as Maxwell Lord, and Natasha Rothwell (Love, Simon), Ravi Patel (Master of None) and Gabriella Wilde (Doctor Who) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.
