As the clock counted down to the latest release date for Wonder Woman 1984, the general assumption from everyone was that it would be changed again. The date has jumped six times, from November 1, 2019 to December 13, 2019 to June 5, 2020 to August 14, 2020 to October 2, 2020 to, most recently, December 25, 2020. And it doesn’t look like the world will be well again at that point either, so…spring 2021? Summer 2021?
To everyone’s surprise, Warner Bros announced today that it’s going to be Christmas 2020 once and for all. To prove they’re serious, WB is uploading the entire movie to HBO Max on the same day. That is correct, if you have an HBO Max subscription ($15 a month, about the same as a ticket in some places), you can watch Wonder Woman 1984 at home on the same day selected theaters will get it. There will be no extra charge….that’ll show Disney how it’s done.
Actually Disney IS dumping a previously theater-destined movie to their streaming channel on Christmas Day as well….Pixar’s Soul, originally meant for June. And unlike the Mulan remake, they are not fleecing Disney+ subscribers extra cash for the privilege to watch it. So…maybe they are learning. But it does mean both films will be competing for family eyeballs on the same day.
Is there a catch? Sorta…Wonder Woman 1984 will only be free to watch on HBO Max for a month. It’s not clear what happens after that…if it’s removed or becomes pay-to-watch. Don’t forget it will also open theatrically, but it’s unclear how many theaters will even be open on that date.
