'Wonder Woman: 1984' Is Premiering On HBO Max & It's A Christmas Miracle

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a lot from the entertainment world in 2020. Black Widow, Dune, The Eternals, James Bond, Fast & Furious — all are delayed into 2021 and beyond. Warner Bros. Pictures released Tenet in theaters, and it sank like a stone; Disney moved Mulan to Disney+ as a "Premier" tier release but has not tried that approach again. With the holidays approaching and the virus still not under control, it seemed Wonder Woman 1984, which had previously been rescheduled for Christmas day, was also doomed. But a last-minute reprieve has been granted. So, here's how to watch Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day 2020.

With the reality that few, if any, consumers will go to the movie theater on Christmas Day, WarnerMedia (the parent company of both HBO and Warner Bros. Pictures) has decided to do a dual launch for Wonder Woman 1984. The film will release simultaneously on the big screen — where theaters are open — and on HBO Max, so that those who would rather stay in the safety of their homes can still see the movie on its launch day.

To say this is a big deal for streaming is an understatement. So far, most production companies have refused to move expected blockbuster hits to small-screen launches. Despite the success of Trolls 2 back in April on PVOD, the idea of sacrificing what should be a near billion-dollar return worldwide for the hope of a few million streaming subscribers has not been viewed as worthy of the trade-off. For example, Netflix reportedly offered Columbia Pictures on the order of $300 million to stream No Time To Die, the new James Bond film. (That's about what the film was expected to make domestically at the U.S. box office.) But executives said no, presumably because that offer was still seen as too low compared to what the film could bring in at the box office. (Worldwide, No Time To Die would probably make three times that amount.)

So, Warner didn't make this decision lightly. Nor does it plan to leave Wonder Woman 1984 on the service forever. Instead, fans only have a month to check out Diana's 1980s-era exploits before the film exits the service again. After Jan. 25, it will only be in theaters or as a PVOD rental.

But it's still the first full-blown superhero blockbuster to arrive anywhere in 2020, and for that, fans are grateful.

Wonder Woman 1984 will stream for all HBO Max subscribers, as well as play in theaters, starting on Christmas Day 2020.