WONDER WOMAN 1984 Debut Earns Strong $16.7 Million in Ticket Sales During Pandemic
By Movieguide® Staff
The end of the year often features some of the most anticipated family blockbuster movies. Despite COVID-19, WONDER WOMAN 1984 managed to take the top spot in box office revenue, even though it also released on HBO Max on the same day.
Many experts and exhibitors feared the new strategy would kill the box office.
While many some movie enthusiasts decided to watch Gal Gadot’s superhero movie on HBO Max, WONDER WOMAN 1984 had a strong performance in cinemas–at least by Pandemic standards.
The movie grossed an impressive $16.7 million from 2,100 North American theaters. The success is more astounding, considering only 35% of U.S. theaters are in operation. Major markets such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia are still closed.
In 2017, WONDER WOMAN received $100 million in its opening weekend. While its sequel’s numbers seem abysmal in comparison, the nearly $17 million marks the highest opening weekend for a movie during the pandemic.
By comparison, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic TENET received $9.35 million in September with 70% of theaters open.
Variety reports that private watch parties are partly to thank for the theatrical success of WONDER WOMAN 1984:
The trade magazine reported that over Christmas weekend, more than 10,000 private rentals were sold, which allowed customers to rent out a screening room at AMC, Cinemark and other cinema chains. These private watch parties cost around $100 and accommodate between 10 and 20 people.
“[Private watch parties] are really sensational,” Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution, said. “It’s a real testament to exhibitors’ ingenuity and showmanship.”
WONDER WOMAN 1984 will remain available on HBO Max for one month.
“‘WONDER WOMAN 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations across all of our key viewing and subscriber metrics in its first 24 hours on the service, and the interest and momentum we’re seeing indicates this will likely continue well beyond the weekend,” Andy Forssell, WarnerMedia’s head of direct-to-consumer, said. “During these very difficult times, it was nice to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where theater viewing wasn’t an option.”
Forssell’s comments support Movieguide®’s claim that TENET could not solely blame its subpar performance on the Pandemic, but that content plays a factor.
WONDER WOMAN 1984 upholds more family-friendly values, which proved to have the upper hand when faced with greater odds.
Movieguide® reviewed WONDER WOMAN 1984 and said that while it did not contain a Christian worldview, it championed “truth, love, and kindness”:
WONDER WOMAN 1984 is an exhilarating, exciting superhero movie with a lot of heart. The characters are well defined and engaging. The acting and direction are top notch. Even better, the movie stresses positive values, including Truth, Love, Kindness, and Joy, which overcome selfishness and greed for power. However, WONDER WOMAN 1984 contains brief though mostly light foul language. It also contains some Non-Christian pagan, mythological references. Finally, at one point, WONDER WOMAN 1984 suggests two couples have slept together. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.
Despite the added pressure from the entertainment industry, Warner Bros.’ decision seemed to pay off without tanking the theaters that remain open.
During the pandemic, the future of theaters is unclear. However, WONDER WOMAN 1984 proved that new strategies such as a streaming release and theater watch parties could succeed and partially dispelled the fears of a self-inflicted demise to the entertainment industry. It is also a testament to the best chance to resuscitate the box office; family-oriented content.
“The pandemic-era release of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ was a grand experiment and a real nail-biter [that] had the whole industry on the edge of its seat,” Paul Dergarabedia, a senior media analyst with Comscore, said. “Movie theaters more than held their own with what should be viewed as a stellar result and a victory for the big screen given the at home, one click away availability of the film for folks who opted to literally stay home for the holidays.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
