Wonder Woman 1984 has been delayed again to Christmas however it should walk into Black Widow’s footsteps to 2021
By now we all have realized that the release date of a superhero movie impacts its collection. Especially with the pandemic around, it is but the release date that decides whether the movie makes its mark commercially or not. Herein also lays the theatre experience which, for the time being, is not available to us.
With movie theatres shut down, major studios are delaying their movies in order to avoid losses
Watch: Wonder Woman 1984 | Official Trailer | WB
Hollywood’s return To Movies
Now let us talk about how Warner Brothers (WB) is completely ignoring Disney’s plan to delay the release of its movies. During the trying times of pandemic, WB has delayed Wonder Woman 1984 yet again to Christmas. The movie was originally scheduled to hit the screens in June 2020 and has been delayed 5 times since. Director Patty Jenkins’ even showed concerns about the state of theatres in a pandemic-hit world. With Cineworld closing its sites in response to Covid-19 she told Reuters,
“This will not be a reversible process. We could lose movie theater-going forever”
Director, Patty Jenkins
Likewise, DC’s competition Marvel’s Black Widow is delayed until 7th May 2021, more than a year after its original release. Now, this may seem a bit too late even but in uncertain times it seems that Disney is unwilling to take any chances. With the disappointing returns for Mulan (March 2020) and New Mutants (August 2020), Black Widow was pushed again. Resulting in delaying Marvel’s Phase 4. Nonetheless, Disney used its streaming platform to kickstart its new phase with WandaVision. Now along with BW, movies like Eternals (November) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (July) will hit the screens in 2021.
Watch: Disney Has Delayed Marvel’s Movies to 2021! | IGN Now
Wonder Woman 1984 Should Be Delayed Again To 2021?
Keeping in mind that Wonder Woman (2017) was a huge win for Warner Brothers which till then was struggling with the meagre response for Dawn of Justice (2016) and the disaster called Justice League (2017). It should consider delaying Wonder Woman 1984, just like Marvel’s Black Widow, if it hopes to earn big. Being a highly-anticipated follow-up to Wonder Woman, the movie needs to leave an impression in the minds of the audience and that too in all the grandeur it promises.
From the viewpoint of US theatres, the biggest markets – New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco- are still closed. And WW1984 which shares its demographics with Black Widow should take their cue from Marvel Studios’ decision.
Warner Brothers need to stop hoping for the theatres to re-open even if at least in NY, LA and San Francisco.
Why WB Should Wait
This is because the mere opening will not be able to lead people to the theatres. Well, not as long as things get better. This has high chances of the release ending up no less than a disaster for the studio, all while being a health hazard for the theatre audience. Needless to say, Warner Brothers’ Tenet (July 2020) with its disastrous box office should be a lesson too. Nonetheless, analysts too predict a release date for June 2021.
Wonder Woman 1984 takes place in 1984 and will bring Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) face to face with the demigod Cheetah who is no one else but her once-good friend Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig). And there is also Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), a wealthy business of craves for power and is a symbol of capitalism in the film. Chris Pine is returning as Steve Trevor, with his fanny pack.
