Wonder Woman 1984 Director Says Day and Date Release Was Detrimental to the Movie

The movie industry is continuing to be in a state of flux amid the COVID-19 pandemic, causes some studios to release their tentpole films in unprecedented ways. Last year, Wonder Woman 1984 made headlines for being among them, Warner Bros. releasing the film both in theaters and on HBO Max on Christmas day in 2020. The move was controversial in the lead-up to the Gal Gadot-led film’s release, and according to new quotes from the film’s director and co-writer, Patty Jenkins, it might have been “detrimental.”

“It was detrimental to the movie,” Jenkins explained during a recent in-person luncheon chat with industry experts at Las Vegas’ CinemaCon. “I knew that could have happened.”

“I don’t think it plays the same on streaming, ever,” Jenkins continued. “I’m not a fan of day-and-date and I hope to avoid it forever.”

Jenkins, who is currently lined up to direct the next film in the Star Wars franchise, also argued that she makes “movies for the big screen experience,” and that she does not have plans to make a movie for a streaming service.

“I won’t make one” Jenkins reevealed. “I like working with Netflix for television, I wouldn’t make a movie there or any streaming service with those terms. It’s hard to market a movie when it has a limited run.”

When Wonder Woman 1984 did debut on HBO Max, over half of the platform’s subscribers reportedly watched the film on opening day. Admittedly, the film did gross significantly less at the box office than the first Wonder Woman film, with a box office gross of $46.5 million domestic and $166.5 million worldwide, compared to $412.6 million domestic and $822.3 million worldwide.

Jenkins previously said that she had mixed feelings about the sequel’s strategy, according to an interview released earlier this year.

“I have the weirdest mix of feelings. Because I never would have thought I could be okay with this, never. I’m a pure theatrical experience person,” Jenkins said on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. “However, as the year went on, and suddenly when this idea came up of doing it this way at Christmas, it felt so right. I was like, ‘Now is the moment. I myself am craving seeing the film, I’m craving what that film has in it,’ and I’ve seen it so many times I can’t handle seeing it again. But I’m thirsty for positivity, and bigness, and escape, and all of those things.”

“[I’m] devastated that there are gonna be people who can’t see it at all, because they can’t figure out how to stream it or they can’t get to a theater,” Jenkins continued. “but I feel incredible about getting to share something that we love and worked on with people on the heels of, and in the midst of, such a dark time.”

What do you think of Patty Jenkins’ latest comments about Wonder Woman 1984‘s hybrid release? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!