Even before WarnerMedia made their historic announcement that their full 2021 calendar would be released in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day, the studio had already made that major decision for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984. Even before knowing the success of that plan, the studio elected to send movies like Dune, Godzilla vs Kong, The Matrix 4, and Mortal Kombat all to streaming, and apparently the creatives inolved aren’t super jazzed about it. In the fallout of their 2021 release strategy we’re learning new details about what it took just to get the DC sequel on the streaming platform, apparently it was a check with a lot of 0s at the end, and others are after similar payouts.
Videos by ComicBook.com
In a huge write-up on the news and the reaction by production companies and filmmakers to the news, The Hollywood Reporter says that “WarnerMedia had to shovel tens of millions at Gal Godot and the other key players” just to get the film onto HBO Max. The main reason though wasn’t just dotting all their is and crossing their ts, it’s because they want to keep everyone happy for an eventual third Wonder Woman movie. Patty Jenkins previously confirmed to ComicBook.com that she has an idea for a follow-up movie already.
“So there’s one more thing I’m craving, which is true to her theme, which is true to everything that she stands for,” the director said in an interview back in August. “I’m like, ‘Ooh, there’s one more chapter of Wonder Woman that we don’t quite get.’ It doesn’t quite make sense for this movie. It didn’t for the last either.”
It’s also worth noting that in THR’s report on this news is that “Wonder Woman money” has become the new shorthand among actors and directors for the payout that the stars and filmmakers for that movie received for their film going to HBO Max. What the trade suggests from its sources however is that WarnerMedia is apparently not keen on writing checks that large for everyone else whose movies will have the same release strategy.
According to the outlet “Suicide Squad director James Gunn was not pleased when the studio followed its shocking announcement by floating a lackluster formula for compensating him and other profit participants in the film.” Don’t expect any specific numbers about what Gunn and company were offered over the Wonder Woman crew, but this does present an interesting stand-off for the director as they’ve already greenlit a spin-off TV series for his DC movie, indicating that they were eager to continue working with him before this disagreement.
