Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot, flops in box office

December 22nd, 2020

Awake Goy

While the power of Wonder Woman may be strong, the hold of coronavirus over 2020 is stronger. So strong that Wonder Woman 1984, one of the most highly anticipated releases of the holiday season, flopped in the box offices during its opening weekend.It was meant to be a literal blockbuster and probably still watches like one. But the film only grossed a total of $38 million across the 32 countries where it was shown over the weekend.In 2017, Wonder Woman, the DC Comics movie helmed by Israeli actress Gal Gadot, passed a whopping $615 million in box office sales worldwide during its opening weekend – becoming the top-grossing live-action film directed by a woman, and passing the record that was held by 2008’s Mamma Mia.

It’s no surprise, however, that the film flopped the way it did. Considering that the coronavirus has sent life into a downward spiral, with stay-at-home orders and Draconian lockdowns targeting populations worldwide, a good portion of movie theaters still remain closed – as they are in Israel. Two-thirds of theaters have not yet reopened in the United States, according to Variety. Theaters in Los Angeles and New York, the biggest US movie going markets, remain closed. Cinemas that have opened in other areas have limited ticket sales and have taken other steps to prevent transmission of the virus.Before the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, Wonder Woman 1984 was poised to be one of the major releases of the year. The film was originally slated for a June 5 release. However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic shutting down theaters across the globe, its release date was pushed off to August 14, only to be pushed off again – alongside films such as James Bond: No Time to Die.Rumors even circled that it would go directly to a streaming service before Warner Bros. confirmed that the film would definitely open in theaters. Due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing theaters to close down, many films are exclusively being released on online platforms, such as HBOMax and Disney+. Wonder Woman 1984 will, however, debut simultaneously in US theaters and on AT&T Inc’s HBOMax streaming service starting on Christmas Day, an unusual release plan prompted by the coronavirus crisis.Movies typically play exclusively in cinemas for about 75 days before they become available elsewhere.The 2020 action-adventure film starring Gadot, which also features Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Chris Pine and Connie Nielsen, picks up the story as the heroine is living a quiet life as Diana Prince in the 1980s, but is lured back into her previous occupation: saving the world.Zachary Keyser, Hannah Brown and Aaron Reich contributed to this report.
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