‘Wonder Woman 1984’ delayed again, will arrive in theaters Christmas Day

Warner Bros. has once again postponed the release of “Wonder Woman 1984.” The superhero flick starring Gal Gadot will now debut on Christmas Day.

For days, media outlets had speculated that the film would uproot from its Oct. 2 release date for a slot later in the year. The return to movie theaters, led by “Tenet,” hasn’t been quite as robust as the industry had hoped for, with U.S. moviegoers, in particular, hesitant to return to cinemas.

On Sunday, Warner Bros. said “Tenet” had garnered $20 million during its Labor Day weekend debut, but that figure included preview screenings from the four days leading up to its release. Meaning, the film likely only made between $10 million and $12 million over the weekend, according to a report by BoxOffice.com.

Additionally, it is still unclear how many theaters will be open by October. Last weekend, only around 65% of cinemas were operating in the U.S., each with a cap on attendance of between 30% and 50%. Important markets like New York and Los Angeles also remain closed.

“The movement of ‘Wonder Woman’ to December shows that Warner Bros. remains committed to the theatrical experience while simultaneously negotiating the choppy waters of an ever changing and dynamic marketplace,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, said. 

“Frequent release date changes are now the norm and certainly understandable given the uncertainty the pandemic has placed upon movie theaters and their ability (and capacity) to be open to moviegoers,” he added. 

Warner Bros. is no stranger to holiday box office success. “Aquaman,” released in December 2018 garnered more than $1 billion during its run in theaters.