Wonder Woman 1984 set a coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic record during its first weekend at the domestic box office, despite streaming on HBO Max the same day it hit theaters. However, the DC Extended Universe movie has been struggling in China, where it premiered ahead of its debut in the U.S.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wonder Woman 1984 only made $1.5 million at the Chinese box office in its second weekend of release. That marks a hefty 92 percent drop-off from its disappointing $18.8 million opening weekend in the country and brings its total gross in China to just $23.9 million. Chinese audiences haven't been thrilled with Wonder Woman 1984 either, with many filmgoers criticizing it for having too much romance and not enough focus on action.
By comparison, Pixar's Soul debuted to $5.5 million at the Chinese box office but is generating much better word of mouth than Wonder Woman 1984. Whereas the Wonder Woman sequel only scored 7.8 and 6.5 from the Chinese ticketing apps Maoyan and Douban, Soul received a 9.6 rating from Maoyan and 9.2 from Douban, which are some of the best-ever scores for a Pixar movie. For that reason, Soul is expected to suffer relatively lower drop-offs at the Chinese box office in the weeks ahead.
In addition to landing the biggest pandemic opening weekend at the U.S. box office, with $16.7 million from 2,100 theaters in North America, Wonder Woman 1984 received a B+ CinemaScore from audiences, which is the same grade they gave to DCEU films like Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. Two days after Wonder Woman 1984 began streaming on HBO Max, Warner Bros. officially fast-tracked Wonder Woman 3, with WW84 star Gal Gadot reprising her role as Diana Prince and Patty Jenkins returning as co-writer and director.
Previously, Jenkins said she would only return for Wonder Woman 3 if "there was still a theatrical model possible." Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich confirmed the film will be released in theaters in his statement, saying "We are excited to be able to continue [Diana's] story with our real-life Wonder Women -- Gal and Patty -- who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy."
At Disney's Investor Day 2020, it was announced that Jenkins would be directing the Star Wars movie Rogue Squadron for a December 2023 theatrical release. Wonder Woman 3 doesn't have an official release date for the time being, so it's unclear if Jenkins will be directing the film before or after she helms Rogue Squadron.
Directed and co-written by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal and Natasha Rothwell. The film is currently in theaters and on HBO Max.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter