By I suppose Warner Bros. is pretty happy about its HBO Max deal right now. This past weekend in China, Wonder Woman 1984 debuted to a fairly dismal $18.8 million gross at the box-office. Combined with a select few other overseas markets, the film did manage to take $38.5 million, but WB was hoping for that figure in China alone. It seems 2020 isn’t yet done kicking our asses.
Making matters worse, Chinese film The Rescue actually managed to bring in around $35 million in revenue, so it seems that most people in the country aren’t willing to rush out for foreign movies. Compared against the original Wonder Woman, it appears as if 1984 will barely make a dent in its predecessor’s total take.
Not everything is misery when it comes to this film. As far as the Middle East and Latin America are concerned, Wonder Woman 1984 did well…at least according to WB. No specific figures were shared, but it does seem like the movie will make a decent haul when everything is said and done. At the very least, that streaming deal is certainly going to pick up the slack as most people are probably unable to go to theaters or would just rather not take the risk.
What this means for the Chinese box-office is uncertain, but it looks like things are heading for a downward slide. China has the coronavirus pandemic relatively under control, but recent surges in cases have caused many theaters to shutter again. The same is happening in both Europe and the United States, which is a bad sign for the theater industry. If even Wonder Woman can’t get people into seats, nothing will.
Sadly, it seems like this latest chapter in the DCEU will end up being the worst-performing of the bunch. We’ll just need to see what happens when it releases on HBO Max this Friday.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
