‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Rakes in $85M Worldwide Amid Mass Closures Stemming From Pandemic

Wonder Woman 1984 has become the biggest film to open during the coronavirus pandemic, raking in $85 million worldwide, amid mass theater closures stemming from the spread of the virus. According to ET Canada, the superhero sequel’s total debut haul also included $16.7 million domestically. While this would normally be seen as a poor performance under pre-pandemic circumstances, under the current climate Wonder Woman 1984 performed very well, considering that the majority of North American theaters are closed down due to the spread of COVID-19.

Notably, Wonder Woman 1984 did so well, even with premiering on HBO Max at the same time as theaters, that another sequel had already been greenlit. “Today, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that it will fast-track development on the third installment of the Wonder Woman franchise to be written by Patty Jenkins, who is attached to direct, and starring Gal Gadot,” read a statement from WarnerMedia. “Wonder Woman 1984 easily conquered the holiday weekend, exceeding box office projections as the top post-pandemic domestic opening weekend for any feature film this year, with $16.7 million in box office.”

The statement continued, “Wonder Woman 1984 took in an estimated $36.1 million globally from 42 markets in release this weekend (including U.S. and Canada). This takes the international running cume to $68.3 million, and the worldwide tally to $85 million.” In addition to the official statement, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich offered a statement as well. “As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, we are excited to be able continue her story with our real life Wonder Women — Gal and Patty — who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy.”

“Wonder Woman 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations across all of our key viewing and subscriber metrics in its first 24 hours on the service, and the interest and momentum we’re seeing indicates this will likely continue well beyond the weekend,” added Andy Forssell, executive vice president and general manager, WarnerMedia Direct-to-Consumer. “During these very difficult times, it was nice to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where theatre viewing wasn’t an option.”