What a long road it’s been for Wonder Woman 1984. Ever since the film got its initially planned release date over a year ago, Patty Jenkins’ latest work has been surrounded by uncertainty, culminating in what is now a highly anticipated simultaneous Christmas Day release on HBO Max and local cinemas in the United States.
Wonder Woman 1984 has been seen as one of the biggest blockbusters for 2020 since the start of the year, alongside the likes of No Time to Die, Black Widow, Top Gun, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife; all of which were set to spark the box office after the disappointing performance of early big-budget features such as Birds of Prey and Dolittle, in the middle of a truly game-changing year for the movie industry.
Well, it now looks like Gal Gadot’s second solo outing as Diana Prince was very much worth the wait, as early reviewers privy to exclusive access to Wonder Woman 1984 are overwhelmingly happy with the movie. Slashfilm’s Hoai-Tran Bui called the film “A magical, sorely needed beacon of hope in this year,” echoing similar words as many of her peers who also did not hold back on their positive impressions.
Many of these comments went out of their way to highlight Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig’s performances as Max Lord and Cheetah, Wonder Woman’s antagonists this time around. At the same time, the movie seems to carry a much-needed theme of hope that will surely be appreciated by audiences.
All this must come as great relief for DC Films, considering how almost everything put out in the context of its Extend Universe has failed to meet critics' and fans’ expectations, let alone when compared to their Marvel counterparts. Could Wonder Woman 1984 be the savior for struggling movie theaters in North America? It's hard to say, but at least early indications suggest it will deliver as a satisfying sequel in terms of entertainment, even if not financially.
With only a few days until Wonder Woman 1984 makes its official debut overseas debut next week, speculation will now focus on just how profitable the movie can be given current circumstances surrounding theaters worldwide, as well as Warner Bros. Pictures' newly adopted streaming strategy. Whatever the case, U.S. audiences can look forward to one more pleasant surprise this Christmas.
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled for release in North America on December 25th, 2020.
Source: Slashfilm