There aren't many blockbusters left in 2020, with theaters relying on titles like The Croods: A New Age, Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy, and Wonder Woman 1984. The latter is set to be released on Christmas Day, and with a small number of theaters in New York City now open, the industry is relying heavily on that DC Comics movie to bring the masses back to multiplexes.
Unfortunately, Tenet proved that many people remain reluctant to head to theaters until a vaccine is available. Thus far, the Christopher Nolan sci-fi flick earned only $283 million overseas and $50 million in the U.S. over two months. That's not good for a movie that cost $200 million to produce, and millions besides to market.
Variety explains that even if Wonder Woman 1984 ends up making half as much as 2017's Wonder Woman (which grossed over $820 million worldwide), that would not be a good result for a sequel Warner Bros. expected to earn much more than its predecessor.
The trade notes that, "Warner Bros. is eager to unveil 'Wonder Woman 1984,' a movie that was filmed in 2018, to the masses, but insiders suggest the studio won’t make a decision about its release for at least another few weeks to better assess the landscape."
A gap in production schedules mean studios have no problem with pushing titles into 2021 as everything has slipped down the calendar thanks to COVID-19, so another delay sadly seems likely.
At this point, major studios are holding off on releasing huge blockbusters on Digital platforms, but if things don't improve between now and 2021, they may have no choice but to embrace that format.
For now, though, don't be surprised if Wonder Woman 1984 slips into 2021!