'Wonder Woman 1984' Becomes Best Pandemic-Debut Of The Year

Despite premiering simultaneously by streaming service, "Wonder Woman 1984" managed the best box office debut of the pandemic, opening with USD 16.7 million over the Christmas weekend, according to studio estimates.

That's only a faint glimmer of typical business during the holiday season, when cinemas are usually packed and box office receipts are among the best of the year.

Last year, "Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker" exceeded USD 32 million on Christmas Day alone. According to data firm Comscore, 35 per cent of all North American theatres are currently open.

But Warner Bros. could still celebrate the performance of "Wonder Woman 1984", which landed in 2,150 theatres the same time it did on HBO Max. The film grossed an additional USD 19.4 million in international markets where it began playing a week earlier.

The Patty Jenkins-directed sequel, starring Gal Gadot, has made USD 85 million globally to date.

"This is a very weak theatrical opening," said David Gross, who runs the movie consultancy FranchiseRe.

"With more than half of North American theatres closed and the pandemic surging, the majority of moviegoers and fans have little choice but to watch the film on television. Early foreign openings have been weak as well," Gross said.

Warner Bros. has come under criticism throughout Hollywood on its plans to divert "Wonder Woman 1984" and all of its 2021 titles to HBO Max, along with a theatrical run, in a bid to boost subscribers. Earlier this month, AT&T chief executive John Stankey said the service has 12.6 million activated users, up from 8.6 million on September 30.

Reports circulated over the weekend of some users having technical difficulties streaming “Wonder Woman 1984," particularly when playing the film through Roku. After months of negotiations, HBO Max went live on Roku in mid-December.

Warner Bros. nevertheless seized on the returns for “Wonder Woman 1984” as the best as could be expected, given the circumstances. The studio on Sunday announced that it would fast-track a third “Wonder Woman” film, with Jenkins and Gadot returning.

"Wonder Woman 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations across all of our key viewing and subscriber metrics in its first 24 hours on the service, and the interest and momentum we're seeing indicates this will likely continue well beyond the weekend,” said Andy Forssell, executive vice president and general manager for WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer operations.

"During these very difficult times, it was nice to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where theatre viewing wasn't an option.”

"Wonder Woman 1984” wasn't the only big movie that detoured into homes over Christmas. The Walt Disney Co. steered the latest Pixar release, “Soul,” to Disney+. It opened theatrically in some international markets, most notably in China where it earned USD 5.5 million.

Streaming numbers weren't provided for either “Soul” or “Wonder Woman 1984.”

WarnerMedia said nearly half of HBO Max''s subscribers watched “Wonder Woman 1984” on its first day on the streaming platform.

Universal Pictures released “News of the World,” a Western starring Tom Hanks and directed by Paul Greengrass, only in theatres. The Comcast-owned studio has pursued a different approach during the pandemic, cutting deals with exhibitors to radically shorten the exclusive theatrical window to as little as 17 days, before then moving movies to premium video-on-demand.

“News of the World” grossed an estimated USD 2.4 million domestically Emerald Fennell's acclaimed “Promising Young Woman,” starring Carey Mulligan, debuted in 1,300 theatres, making USD 680,000 for Focus Features.