Warner Bros. is movingWonder Woman 1984off its Oct. 2 date and will now release the superhero sequel on Christmas Day – just one week after the studio unveilsDune.
A studio insider told Collider that the muted box office performance ofTenetthis past weekend did not play a factor in the decision, and that Warners had been looking at the Christmas corridor for some time, believing that the holiday frame could easily support two tentpoles, and pointing to the success of 2017’sJumanji:Welcome to the Jungledespite the presence ofStar Wars: The Last Jediin the marketplace.
Since WB released the latestWW84trailer, sources say the sequel has been tracking at the highest levels across all metrics, but that with 30 percent of markets still closed – including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco – it only made sense to shift the release date.
Patty JenkinsdirectedWonder Woman 1984, which brings backGal GadotandChris Pine, and introducesKristen WiigandPedro Pascal.
Meanwhile,Denis Villeneuve’sDunearrives on Dec. 18, so it’ll have one week in theaters beforeWW84begins vacuuming up its audience, though with fewer films being released this Christmas,Dunecould very well have legs, especially if word-of-mouth is positive.
Duneboasts an all-star cast includingTimothee Chalamet,Zendaya,Oscar Isaac,Josh Brolin,Jason Momoa,Rebecca FergusonandDave Bautista, so it should fare well, especially with younger audiences eager for a sci-fi fix.
As forChristopher Nolan’sTenet, it opened to $20 million at the domestic box office this past weekend, which was in line with expectations given the circumstances.Tenethas theaters all to itself, for the most part, for the next couple months, so it should be fine in the long run, and the film served an important purpose in reinvigorating the theatrical business amid the pandemic. For more onTenet’s box office performance,click here.
