Gal Gadot stars as Wonder Woman in “Wonder Woman 1984”.
Warner Bros.
“Wonder Woman 1984” shot in theaters on Christmas Day and secured the highest grossing of all films released in the country since the coronavirus pandemic affected the entertainment industry in mid-March.
On Sunday, Warner Bros. revealed that the film grossed $ 16.7 million in the United States and Canada. “Wonder Woman 1984” was one of the first Hollywood blockbusters to be released in theaters and streaming the same day.
The simultaneous launch was planned to accommodate a limited number of open cinemas, limited seating capacity and a general public that remains afraid to return to cinemas.
AT&T, the father of Warner Bros., said on Sunday that almost half of its HBO Max subscribers watched “Wonder Woman 1984” on Christmas Day. In early December, the streaming service had about 12.6 million customers.
“Wonder Woman 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations in all of our top views and subscriber metrics in the first 24 hours of service, and the interest and momentum we’re seeing indicates that this is likely to continue beyond the weekend,” said Andy Forssell, executive vice president and general manager of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer division. “During these very difficult times, it was good to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where watching movies was not an option.”
The film’s theatrical success prompted the studio to accelerate a third Wonder Woman franchise, the company said. It will be written and directed by Patty Jenkins, who directed the two previous films and, last week, made it clear that she would not return to the franchise if there was no theatrical model made possible for the film.
On the way to the weekend, analysts were unsure whether the film could exceed the nearly $ 10 million that “The Croods: A New Age” secured during the opening weekend during Thanksgiving. There were concerns that the audience at HBO Max could significantly cannibalize ticket sales.
Still, even with a large box office revenue, fans and critics are concerned about Warner Bros. ‘DC Extended Universe.
A week before debuting in the United States, “Wonder Woman 1984” had an 88% “Fresh” rating on the review site Rotten Tomatoes out of 92 reviews. On Sunday afternoon, that score dropped from 285 reviews to 65%.
While the film’s star, Gal Gadot, was widely praised, the film itself was criticized for its weak story, plot inconsistencies and low-quality CGI.
For comparison, the first film “Wonder Woman”, released in 2017, scored 93%, the highest of all films in the extended DC Universe. Attending private parties and large-format screens like IMAX and Dolby were the most popular avenue for moviegoers to see the last film over the holiday weekend, the company said.