Film studios and movie fans alike all had eyes on Wonder Woman 1984‘s unusual release dates. The film first premiered on Dec. 16 in a handful of international theatres before debuting simultaneously in select North American theatres and the streaming service HBO Max on Dec. 25.
The $200 million-budget superhero film brought in the biggest North American box-office haul in 2020 with $16.5 million. But Wonder Woman 1984 isn’t the first film to debut on a streaming platform.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, studios began premiering films on streaming services. The live-action Mulan premiered on Disney Plus in September for a $30 premium charge, on top of the platform’s subscription fee, before releasing to all subscribers in early December. Soul also premiered on Disney Plus the same day as Wonder Woman 1984 with no extra charge.
André Loiselle, St. Thomas University’s dean of humanities and a film professor, said the rise of streaming services could drastically change how film and media are consumed. He said theatres might become a place where people go for rare events.
“People go see a film in the theatres as an event, either big films with a lot of buzz or films where there is a sense that [an] entire community might go see it.”
Source: https://theaquinian.net/going-digital-how-wonder-woman-1984-affects-the-theatrical-experience/