Gal Gadot plays the role of the Wonder Woman in “The Wonder Woman 1984”.
Warner Bros.
“Wonder Woman 1984” hit theaters on Christmas Day and secured the biggest box office opening of any film released domestically since the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the entertainment industry in mid-March.
On Sunday, Warner Bros. revealed that the film reached $ 16.7 million in the US and Canada. “Wonder Woman 1984” was one of the first major blockbusters in Hollywood to be released in theaters and streaming on the same day.
The simultaneous launch was meant to host a limited number of open cinemas, a limited seating capacity and a large audience that continues to fear returning to cinemas.
Father Warner Bros., AT&T, said Sunday that nearly half of its HBO Max retail subscribers watched “Wonder Woman 1984” on Christmas Day. Retail subscribers are those who purchase the streaming service directly, not through a cable subscription or other streaming subscription.
In October, HBO Max had about 3.6 million direct retail customers. It is not clear how many additional subscribers the company acquired before the launch of “Wonder Woman 1984” on the platform.
“Wonder Woman 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations in all key viewing and subscriber values in its first 24 hours of service, and the interest and momentum we see indicates that this is likely to continue beyond the weekend. “Said Andy Forssell, executive vice president and general manager of WarnerMedia’s direct consumer division. “In these very difficult times, it was nice to offer families the option to enjoy this uplifting film at home, where watching the theater was not an option.”
The theatrical success of the film led the studio to quickly follow a third installment of the Wonder Woman franchise, the company said. It will be written and directed by Patty Jenkins, who has directed the previous two films, and last week told the New York Times that she will not return to the franchise unless there is a theatrical model made possible for the film.
By the end of the week, analysts weren’t sure if the film could surpass the nearly $ 10 million that “The Croods: A New Age” secured during the opening weekend during Thanksgiving Day. viewers on HBO Max would significantly cannibalize ticket sales.
However, even in the case of a strong box office box office, there is concern from fans and critics about Warner Bros. ‘DC Extended Universe.
One week before debuting in the US, “Wonder Woman 1984” owned 88% of “Fresh” on the Rotten Tomatoes review site out of 92 reviews. As of Sunday afternoon, the score has dropped to 65% from 285 reviews.
While the film’s star, Gal Gadot, was widely praised, the film itself was robbed for its weak story, plot inconsistencies and low quality CGI.
For comparison, the first movie “Wonder Woman”, released in 2017, got a score of 93%, the highest of all movies in the DC Extended Universe. Private viewing parties and large screens, such as IMAX and Dolby, were the most popular way for moviegoers to see the latest film over the holiday weekend, the company said.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal owns Dreamworks Animation, the studio behind “The Croods: A New Age” and Rotten Tomatoes.
Correction: Warner Bros.-AT&T parent said Sunday that nearly half of its HBO Max retail subscribers watched “Wonder Woman 1984” on Christmas Day.