Even so many months into the coronavirus pandemic, movie studios and theaters are still considering the release of blockbuster titles, and Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled for a theatrical release on Christmas. With COVID-19 infections and deaths rising across the country it’s unclear whether that will hold, but Variety and Bloomberg report that Warner Bros. is negotiating with theater owners over a new release strategy.
Apparently their big idea is to release it in theaters where possible, and potentially bring the movie to Warner’s streaming service HBO Max within a week or two. While theater owners have relented on exclusivity windows — AMC’s new deal with Universal dropped it to 17 days in some cases — allowing viewers to access it via subscription service would be a major jump. According to Bloomberg, with HBO Max seeking a big hit and theater owners in need of money to stay afloat, Warner could simply pay them in order to make it happen.