“Wonder Woman 1984” is the latest Hollywood blockbuster to leave its original theatrical release date as the coronavirus continues to spread globally.
The superhero flick staring Gal Gadot will now arrive in cinemas Aug. 14, instead of its initial June 5 date.
“In these dark and scary times, I am looking forward to a brighter future ahead,” Gadot wrote on Twitter. “Where we can share the power of cinema together again.”
Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, also pulled the release dates for “In the Heights,” “Scoob” and “Malignant.” None of those films have a new release date set.
“Malignant” was supposed to be released on Aug. 14, but has been moved to make a place for “Wonder Woman 1984.”
“When we greenlit ‘Wonder Woman 1984,’ it was with every intention to be viewed on the big screen and are excited to announce that Warner Bros. Pictures will be bringing the film to theatres on Aug. 14,” Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman, said in a statement. “We hope the world will be in a safer and healthier place by then.”
Already, Chinese theaters that were shuttered during quarantine period in China are beginning to reopen. So, the hope is that U.S. theaters and theaters in other countries that were shuttered because of the outbreak will follow a similar timeline in reopening.
The film’s predecessor, “Wonder Woman,” had an even split of ticket sales between U.S. and foreign audiences, unlike many big films that can see 60% or more of its total box office receipts from international markets.
It seemed inevitable that “Wonder Woman 1984” was going to leave its June release date. On Monday, National Association of Theater Owners President John Fithian said that theaters could be shut down for two to three months, or more, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
While a number of theatrical films have entered the home video space earlier than usual, only one movie is set to be solely released on-demand in the wake of theater closures — Universal’s “Trolls World Tour.”
Other theatrical releases that were set for the next few months have been pushed either to new dates or are still looking for another weekend to debut.
The theatrical calendar is set months, if not years, in advance so having so many movies displaced from their opening weekends could mean that some of these films will have to open in 2021 instead of 2020.
– Source
