Warner Bros. is Reportedly Considering Releasing WONDER WOMAN 1984 on VOD
With movie theaters closed down all over the world and movie release dates being pushed back until the coronavirus pandemic passes, Warner Bros. is reportedly considering releasing DC’s Wonder Woman 1984 on VOD instead of giving it a theatrical release.
According to The Wrap, “Warner Bros. is discussing whether to take its upcoming DC Comics tentpole Wonder Woman 1984 directly to streaming and bypass theaters altogether.”
These discussions are in the preliminary stages and have “remained close to Warner Pictures Group Chairman Toby Emmerich and his top advisers.” Director Patty Jenkins and producer Charles Roven haven’t even been brought into the conversation yet.
The report goes on to say that the “preference is still to release the movie theatrically — but executives are considering a streaming alternative, probably as a direct-to-consumer offering rather than as part of Warner’s soon-to-launch subscription service HBO Max. The concern, the insiders said, is that there is no known date for movie theaters to reopen and there may be a shortage of favorable dates once theaters do come back online for the many films that have been postponed.”
Wonder Woman 1984 is still officially slated for wide release on June 4th, but that is likely to change. According to insiders, “Roven and Jenkins would like to see the movie hit theaters in August… but with so much uncertainty, Warner executives wonder if that is a realistic possibility amid a pandemic that has upended Hollywood and threatens to have long-term repercussions for the industry.”
When The Wrap reached out for a comment, Warner President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldstein told them that there have not been any streaming discussions, “We’re looking to release the movie theatrically, that’s our plan.” Roven also dismissed the idea of a streaming-only release saying, “It’s ludicrous if you consider how big a movie this is. Everybody recognizes that, as interesting as streaming might be, if you want a huge, global worldwide box office, you’ve got to release it in a movie theater.”
Of course, if they are really considering it, they aren’t going to admit it just yet. The Wrap is a super reliable source when it comes to this stuff, so while this is just a rumor, with their track record, I do believe that conversations about releasing Wonder Woman 1984 on VOD have taken place. Whether or not they move forward with that kind of distribution has yet to be seen.
Honestly, I think in the end Warner Bros. will hold off and release it in theaters. There’s a lot more money to be made with a theatrical release, but we’ll just have to wait and see.