Will Wonder Woman 1984 Jump to HBO Max in January?

While Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins recently shot down rumors that Warner Bros. Pictures are considering a direct-to-streaming release for the long-delayed DC sequel, that may not be far from the truth. According to a new report in Variety, Warners may be considering a shortened theatrical window for WW84, maintaining the current December 25 theatrical bow but then debuting the film on HBO Max in early January. The studio is also reportedly mulling simply shifting it into the already-crowded Summer 2021 frame.

The short theatrical window could give ailing theaters across the country the end-of-year boost they desperately need while also spiking subscriptions to HBO Max. Conversely, the move could end up costing WB a small fortune in projected theatrical revenue for one of their most awaited releases, with theaters in NYC and LA (the two biggest markets) still shuttered, not to mention those who will skip theaters to simply wait out the streaming release.

In early October Jenkins took to Twitter to debunk the rumors, stating that a digital release wasn’t even being discussed.

Correct. Direct to streaming is not even being discussed. We are still 100% behind the theatrical experience for #WW84 and supporting our beloved theater business. https://t.co/SDyD7Nzo0Z

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) October 8, 2020

The acclaimed filmmaker doubles down on this statement during a recent interview with Reuters as she expresses her full support for the theatrical experience while also explaining the importance of saving cinemas to the industry. Jenkins is actually among the many Hollywood directors who have recently appealed to the government to help fund the survival of movie theaters during this ongoing pandemic.

“If we shut this down, this will not be a reversible process,” Jenkins said. “We could lose movie theater-going forever. It could be the kind of thing that happened to the music industry where you could crumble the entire industry by making it something that can’t be profitable. I don’t think any of us want to live in a world where the only option is to take your kids to watch a movie in your own living room, and not have a place to go for a date.”

She added, “I really hope that we are able to be one of the very first ones to come back and bring that into everyone’s life.”

Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big-screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah. With director Patty Jenkins back at the helm and Gal Gadot returning in the title role, Wonder Woman 1984 is Warner Bros. Pictures’ follow up to the DC Super Hero’s first outing, 2017’s record-breaking Wonder Woman.

The film also stars Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, Robin Wright as Antiope, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta. Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, and Stephen Jones are producing the film. Rebecca Steel Roven Oakley, Richard Suckle, Marianne Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, and Wesley Coller are the executive producers. Patty Jenkins directed from a screenplay she wrote with Geoff Johns & David Callaham, story by Jenkins & Johns, based on characters from DC.

The sequel was originally intended to be released in 2019 but was then delayed to June 5, 2020. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, the film was then pushed back to two times to August and October before finally landing on its current December 25, 2020 release.