Christmas Day saw the long-awaited release of Wonder Woman 1984, and to great consequence. Theaters across the country showcased the superhero feature, which accrued $16.7 million at the domestic box office. Paltry compared to your typical holiday blockbuster opening, yes. But that’s a significant intake given the heavy hand of the coronavirus pandemic. Diana Prince’s Reagan-era adventure released simultaneously on the Warner Bros.-owned streaming service HBO Max. While Warner Bros. has not publicized at-home viewership data, we can assume that eyes turned to the mighty Amazonian throughout the weekend. News broke on Sunday that the studio has formally greenlit a third Wonder Woman feature; Patty Jenkins, director of 2017’s Wonder Woman and its newly released sequel, will likewise helm the next entry.
Granted, the ostensibly speedy decision owes not only to Wonder Woman 1984‘s holiday weekend performance. The movie opened overseas on December 16, and has since amounted $68.3 million internationally; counting US and Canada totals, that comes to $85 million overall in less than two weeks. (Which, again, is nothing to sneeze at given the impact of COVID-19 on the industry.)
Warner Bros.
Though Wonder Woman 1984 may have collected ample attention, it hasn’t earned unanimous praise. The film gained mixed critical reception—especially notable when compared to its overall beloved 2017 predecessor. Still, this doesn’t seem to have impressed upon worldwide ticket sales, nor has it incited caution at studio headquarters.
Wonder Woman 3‘s proper announcement came with no mention of scheduled release, nor mention of whether Warner Bros. will deliver the film simultaneously to theaters and streaming, per its plans en masse for 2021 releases. We can assume at least that director Jenkins’ commitment to Lucasfilm’s Rogue Squadron movie will delay production on Wonder Woman 3, thus leaving us without another trip to Themyscira for some time yet. As Wonder Woman remains a hot topic across the web, we’re sure to hear more news on the Amazonian front before long.
