Wonder Woman 1984 could release on HBO Max a week after cinemas

WarnerMedia is reportedly considering releasing Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max just a week or two after its theatrical premiere, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced studios worldwide to delay movie release dates and take theatrical releases straight to streaming, but Wonder Woman 1984 remains the only true-blue blockbuster flick still slated to release in cinemas in 2020. But as coronavirus cases surge and Wonder Woman 1984's Christmas release date nears ever closer, discussions are underway at WarnerMedia about whether to delay the movie until 2021 or opt for a quick-to-home streaming release.

While it might seem like a devastating blow to cinemas moving Wonder Woman 1984 to streaming, some theatre owners are reportedly open to the idea, as they see it as preferable to WarnerMedia delaying the movie's release altogether.

After first being delayed from December 2019 to June 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 was expected to be this summer's big blockbuster superhero movie. Of course, it was then pushed to August, and then October, and now we're quickly approaching the official December 25 release date (December 26 in the UK). 

Director Patty Jenkins previously denied rumours that it would go straight-to-streaming, saying, "Direct to streaming is not even being discussed. We are still 100% behind the theatrical experience for #WW84 and supporting our beloved theatre business." Today, it sounds like Jenkins isn't wavering, but it sounds like a compromise could be in the works that keep theatres afloat while adding to HBO Max's subscriber base. There's still a large chance Wonder Woman could get delayed until Summer, as the sequel is expected to make upwards of a billion at the box-office (in 'normal' times, at least). Whatever happens, this won't be a straight release come December. Plus, could it be a sign of a delay that DC postponed Wonder Woman 1984 variants to 2021?