'Wonder Woman 1984' directed by Patty Jenkins is the second movie in the commercially and critically-acclaimed franchise and has now grossed over 36 million dollars at the box office with simultaneous theatre and online releases.
The film has performed well in theatres, grossing over 16 million dollars in theatres reopened after the pandemic lockdown. 'WW1984' has also popularised streaming on HBO Max. Although profits are low post-pandemic lockdown, Warner Bros has confirmed a third film in the franchise which stars Gal Gadot as the lead superhero.
The move to release on two different platforms seems to have paid off for Warner Bros, who are also planning the same for their entire 2021 lineup of films, including Dennis Villeneuve's 'Dune' and 'Godzilla vs King Kong'. This had earlier attracted controversy from directors and producers as they alleged that online releases would increase the chances of piracy whilst taking away from the theatre experience.
The fate of theatres and film viewing, in general, remains hazy, with viewers divided between the older theatre experience and the newer streaming platform access to movies.
With inputs from Reuters