The uncertain fate of Wonder Woman 1984 has just become a little less so. WarnerMedia officially announced that the highly anticipated sequel will not only release on December 25th, but it will also see a simultaneous premiere via both theaters and the HBO Max streaming service.

This comes at the tail end of widespread speculation suggesting the film may receive yet another delay, but luckily the news was positive for once. To add to the good news, the film will be available on HBO Max at no additional charge to subscribers. Normally, this would seem like it goes without saying. But thanks to the decision by Disney to charge extra for Mulan which was certainly a decision, it's definitely some welcome information.

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Director Patty Jenkins posted her own excitement for the announcement on Twitter, saying "we truly hope that our film brings a little bit of joy and reprieve to all of you this holiday season." The choice to release simultaneously in both formats may come as a surprise to some, considering Jenkins' own documented apprehension to the idea as recently as October. Though considering her hesitation was more for the sake of the theater business, it makes sense that she would be more open to showing the film both ways than putting it exclusively through streaming.

Wonder Woman 1984 has been collecting headlines for some time now, thanks to its delays and general hype thanks to its well-received predecessor. In fact, this news may not be entirely surprising to those who have dutifully followed updates on the film, since one of several points of speculation recently suggested this very thing may happen. But while the idea isn't altogether new or unexpected, it is very much a relief to see the release date set in stone after prolonged rumors of further delays.

Only time will tell if the film lives up to the expectations harbored by everyone anxiously awaiting the new much more secure premiere. The 80s setting always tends to inspire a certain comfort for many moviegoers, while the return of Chris Pine's character Steve Trevor sparked waves of speculation on how he came back. So it's in no way shocking to see how excited people have been ever since its announcement. After the kind of year 2020 has been, audiences could use a little relaxation any way they can get it, and WarnerMedia agrees. "Many of us could use an uplifting story this holiday season," they said in their blog post, "we think we have that and more in [Wonder Woman 1984]."

Keep hope that things will get better. Maybe not any time soon, but it will happen. In the meantime, take solace where it can be found, and if that place is plopped in front of a laptop watching a colorful Gal Gadot punch some baddies, all the more reason to be excited.

Once again, Wonder Woman 1984 will release December 25th, 2020 in theaters and on HBO Max, the latter of which will require no additional charge.

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Source: WarnerMedia Blog