Warner Bros. Considering Summer Delay or Quick HBO Max Turnaround For Wonder Woman 1984

Wonder Woman 1984 is set to arrive in just six weeks currently, but Warner Bros. is considering alternative plans including a delay to summer or a quick turnaround on bringing it to HBO Max. Variety reports that the DCEU film is currently being discussed in terms of its release strategy as COVID-19 continues to make full-fledged theatrical releases untenable for blockbuster films.

The site reports that the two potential options on the table are to delay it to the summertime or to let it release as scheduled on Christmas Day, then put it on HBO Max in early January. The Gal Gadot-starring movie has been delayed several times, originally being set for release on June 5th before being pushed to August 14th, then October 2nd, then to Christmas. As COVID-19 cases spike over the winter, the exhibition industry is facing another shutdown that could cause problems for a traditional release.

However, as Variety notes a quick theatrical release could be a boon to exhibitors who are struggling without new product to fill theaters, and then the quick jump to HBO Max could boost the service which, while exceeded WarnerMedia’s expectations is behind its chief competitors like Netflix and Disney+. The growth of Disney+ subscribers managed to help boost the company’s stock price despite a reported $710 million loss in Q3.

The concern against that release method, of course, is that Wonder Woman 1984 was supposed to be a billion-dollar grosser and that plan would make it fall far short. The news that a vaccine may be ready to distribute in the first half of the year has Warner Bros. execs considering the summer date, perhaps June or July.