Wonder Woman 1984 Receives Same CinemaScore as Justice League and Suicide Squad

Wonder Woman 1984 lassoes a “B+” CinemaScore from opening weekend moviegoers, who gave the Wonder Woman sequel a pandemic-best domestic opening weekend of $16.7 million. After losing its Certified Fresh distinction on Rotten Tomatoes, plummeting from a high-80s score to a more mixed 66% fresh approval from critics, WW84’s reception matches the “B+” scored by this year’s Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey — well-received on Rotten Tomatoes at 78% — as well as the theatrical version of Justice League and the David Ayer-directed Suicide Squad. Those two films are among the worst-rated entries from the nine-movie DC Extended Universe on Rotten Tomatoes, where Suicide Squad hit a franchise-low of 26%.

The first Wonder Woman and Shazam! are the best-received films out of the DCEU on CinemaScore, each receiving an “A” rating from opening night audiences. Zack Snyder’s universe-launching Man of Steel scored an “A-,” as did James Wan’s Aquaman, which remains the highest-grossing DC Comics adaptation at the global box office. The worst-received film out of the universe is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which received a “B” on opening weekend in 2016.

Other Christmas weekend new releases to receive a “B+” CinemaScore include Promising Young Woman and the Tom Hanks-starring News of the World. When compared to other new releases, WW84 comes in behind the animated The Croods: A New Age (“A”) but ahead of Vince Vaughn’s bodyswap comedy-horror Freaky and the Kevin Costner and Diane Lane drama Let Him Go (“B-“).

WW84‘s “B+” score places it alongside fellow superhero movies Spider-Man 3, Superman Returns, Thor, Venom, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, and DC Films’ own Joker, which became the first DC Comics film to be nominated for the best picture Academy Award.

Amid mixed reception from at-home audiences viewing WW84 on HBO Max over the Christmas holiday, studio Warner Bros. on Sunday confirmed writer-director Patty Jenkins will return for Wonder Woman 3.

“Wonder Woman 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations across all of our key viewing and subscriber metrics in its first 24 hours on the service, and the interest and momentum we’re seeing indicates this will likely continue well beyond the weekend,” Andy Forssell, WarnerMedia Direct-to-Consumer executive vice president and general manager, said in a statement. “During these very difficult times, it was nice to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where theater viewing wasn’t an option.”

Starring Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Pine, Wonder Woman 1984 is now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.