Wonder Woman 1984 Gets Simultaneous Release in Theaters and on HBO Max After Multiple Delays

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, this year major movie studios either delayed major blockbusters (i.e. No Time to Die, Black Widow) or just sent them direct to streaming (i.e. Mulan).

The last big blockbuster that was still planned to be released in theaters was Wonder Woman 1984. Initially it was going to be released in June, then it was pushed to October, and finally it was pushed to December.

In recent weeks there were reports about what Warner Bros was going to do, including possibly delaying it again, given all the public health warnings about coronavirus spikes across the country heading into winter.

But now finally the studio has reached a decision: a simultaneous release in theaters and HBO Max.

The surprise move broke earlier Wednesday night. Director Patty Jenkins said in a statement, “At some point you have to choose to share any love and joy you have to give, over everything else. We love our movie 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.”

Jenkins encouraged people to see it in theaters, but only where it’s safe to do so.

Star Gal Gadot said, “It wasn’t an easy decision and we never thought we’d have to hold onto the release for such a long time but Covid rocked all of our world. We feel the movie has never been so relevant and we hope that it’ll bring some joy, hope and love to your hearts.”

Wonder Woman 1984 will be in theaters and on HBO Max (at no additional cost) on Christmas Day.

Meanwhile, the new Pixar film Soul is being released on Disney+ on Christmas as well.