Washington: Warner Bros. has officially pushed back the release of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ until Christmas.
According to Variety, the superhero sequel starring Gal Gadot, which was expected to debut on October 2, will now reach theatres on December 25, 2020.
Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chairman, said, “Patty is an exceptional filmmaker and with ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ she has delivered an incredibly dynamic film that moviegoers of all ages around the world will absolutely love. We’re very proud of the film and look forward to bringing it to audiences for the holidays.”
Director Patty Jenkins added, “First and foremost let me say how much Gal and I love all our devoted Wonder Woman fans around the world, and your excitement for ‘WW84’ couldn’t make us happier or more eager for you to see the movie. Because I know how important it is to bring this movie to you on a big screen when all of us can share the experience together, I’m hoping you won’t mind waiting just a little bit longer. With the new date on Christmas Day, we can’t wait to spend the holidays with you!”
As per Variety, Warner Bros. took a risk in releasing ‘Tenet’ on the big screen, marking the first major blockbuster to debut since movie theatres closed in March due to the pandemic. The USD 200 million-budgeted film, from director Christopher Nolan, launched over Labour Day weekend in the US to a muted USD 20 million.
The sources say the studio was waiting to assess domestic ticket sales for ‘Tenet’ before making a decision about moving ‘Wonder Woman.’
With the delay of ‘Wonder Woman 1984,’ ‘Tenet’ won’t face much competition among ticket buyers and could see a boost in sales in the coming weeks. For now, Disney and Marvel’s comic book adventure ‘Black Widow’ on November 6 is the next major film on calendars. In the meantime, smaller movies like Sony’s romantic comedy ‘The Broken Hearts Gallery’ plan to open this weekend.
Amid the pandemic, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ has been delayed numerous times. It was originally scheduled for June 5 before moving to August 14 and then October 2.
It’s not entirely surprising that the sequel ‘Wonder Woman’ was postponed again. Four weeks ahead of its October release date, and the studio had hardly done any promotion. ‘Wonder Woman’ is a hugely important franchise for Warner Bros., and the company couldn’t risk mediocre box office receipts. The movie cost roughly USD 180 million to produce, not counting pricey global marketing fees.