There have been many unbelievable things coming true this week, but even this rumor sounds like a huge leap too far.
The Wrap is reporting that Warner Bros. has had preliminary discussions about the possibility of releasing “Wonder Woman 1984” to digital instead of theaters.
If so, it would likely be a ‘direct-to-consumer offering’ such as what Universal is doing with “Trolls World Tour” as opposed to being a part of Warner’s soon-to-launch subscription service HBO Max. Nothing is official yet and the studio’s preference is to stick to a theatrical release.
The outlet contacted Warner President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldstein who denies streaming discussions, stating: “We’re looking to release the movie theatrically, that’s our plan.”
Director Patty Jenkins and producer Charles Roven have also reportedly not been involved with any discussions to release the film to streaming first. Both have reportedly said they would like to see the movie hit cinemas in August.
Roven dismisses the idea of a streaming-only release: “It’s ludicrous if you consider how big a movie this is. Everybody recognizes that, as interesting as streaming might be, if you want a huge, global worldwide box office, you’ve got to release it in a movie theater.”
However he adds that “There may come a time we have to make that decision. But why not stay here as long as we can and hope for the best?. I don’t think it would be prudent to make a move until take all factors have been taken into consideration.”
If the film skips theatrical, it would have to hit several tens of millions of streaming purchases to make the move financially worthwhile.
UPDATE: Indiewire spoke with a Warner Bros. rep who is adamant the film will indeed get a full theatrical run.
