Well, the question all nerds were wondering was finally answered: Warner Brothers made a decision on whether they would release Wonder Woman 84 in theaters or not. The outcome, which came as a surprise to no one I’m sure, is that it will be releasing on HBO Max this Christmas day. It will still be going to some theaters who deem fit to open and “hope” not to get anyone sick. But I digress.
This would be the first major picture to go straight to a streaming service and not charge extra. Disney released Mulan earlier this year on Disney+ but they made a mistake in charging people extra for something they were already are paying for. Disney took a small hit, but even Mulan will start streaming on December 4th with no extra charge. And Disney will also be releasing Soul on Christmas Day with no extra charge. So they may have seen the error in their ways? But I doubt it.
Why HBO Max might be right in doing this is they clearly see how the landscape for movie releases is changing for the near future. Until the COVID has a vaccine or people start taking it seriously, this is how movies may be released for a while. HBO is just jumping the gun and getting the ball rolling. Every movie company is in need of a cash flow right now and if they find a way to generate some profit from a movie that was made literally two years ago, then they have to do what they gotta do.
If movie theaters make it through these hard times, they will open again. And I’m sure most movies that went straight to streaming will be shown in theaters for a limited time to recoup some money. But until then, this is reality of the situation. Movies will be coming into your home for higher price or onto previously used services. The world is changing, and we need get on board or we’ll be left in the dust wondering what happened.
Wonder Woman 84 is the first step in a new world. One could argue that Black Widow could do the same next May. But let’s see how the first of the year turns out before we speculate on what the Disney will do. Lots of things are going to happen in a small-time frame, we all just need to be ready for the change. But until then, watch Wonder Woman 84 on Christmas only on HBO Max!