Warner Bros. recently announced Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman 1984 will be released across the United States on Christmas day in theaters and on HBO Max. Now, the studio has set release dates for the highly-anticipated DC sequel in international markets, where HBO Max is currently unavailable.
The global pandemic had already forced Warner Bros. to delay the theatrical debut of Wonder Woman 1984 twice before the studio settled on the Christmas release date. However, the rising number of reported COVID-19 cases and additional theater closings amid the second wave of the health crisis led to speculation that another postponement was inevitable. Complicating matters was pressure from the higher-ups at AT&T, the parent company of WarnerMedia, who reportedly wanted Warner Bros. to release the DC film on an over-the-top service.
While Warner Bros. ultimately settled on a simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max debut for the U.S., the studio will gradually release Wonder Woman 1984 in international markets starting on December 16. Because HBO Max is only scheduled to become available in Latin America and parts of Europe starting in 2021, the studio decided to release Wonder Woman 1984 theatrically earlier in certain markets as part of its effort to curtail potential piracy. However, parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom and Italy, are in the midst of a second shutdown and have not set plans to reopen theaters at this time. Theaters in France, on the other hand, were recently given the green light to begin opening their door again starting on December 15th, the day before Wonder Woman 1984 is slated to be released in the country.
Below is Warner Bros.'s worldwide theatrical release plan for Wonder Wonder Woman 1984.
Wednesday, December 16 — Belgium, Bulgaria. Egypt, Estonia, France, Greece, Holland, Iceland, Indonesia, Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Thursday, December 17 — Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Middle East – Other, Nicaragua, Panama, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates
Friday, December 18 — China, East Africa, Japan, Nigeria, Spain, Vietnam
Wednesday, December 23 — Austria, Germany, Korea
Thursday, December 24 — Hungary, Slovenia
Friday, December 25 — Canada, Colombia, Finland, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Venezuela, United States
Saturday, December 26 — Australia, New Zealand
Thursday, December 31 — Argentina
Thursday, January 7 — Ukraine, Uruguay
Friday, January 8 — Philippines
Thursday, January 14 — Azerbaijan, CIS Others, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Russia
Friday, January 15 — Romania, Turkey
Thursday, January 21 — Chile, Peru
Friday, January 22 — Poland
Thursday, January 28 — Italy
TBD — Bahrain, Ghana, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Asia – Other, LatAm – Other, Islands – Other
Set during the Cold War, Wonder Woman 1984 finds Diana Prince inexplicably reuniting with Steve Trevor despite the fact that he sacrificed his life decades before. Unfortunately, their efforts to make up for lost time coincide with Diana coming into conflict with media tycoon Maxwell Lord and Barbara Ann Minerva, a friend who later becomes the DC heroine's nemesis after transforming into Cheetah. Director Patty Jenkins returns to direct before planning to end her tenure with the franchise after the third film.
There are caveats for those planning to play it safe by avoiding theaters and watching Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max. Not only will the DC film be removed from the streaming service after 30 days, but it will not be available in 4K resolution.
Fans living in countries without HBO Max are still left without a streaming option should theaters in their area remain closed over the next two months. While Warner Bros. could distribute the film internationally through regional partners or on-demand, no such plans have not been announced at this point.
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to be released in U.S. theaters and on HBO Max on December 25.
Source: Variety