of billions, streaming is a bright spot for media
companies, and the pandemic may offer a once-
in-a-lifetime opportunity to lure subscribers.
“Wonder Woman 1984” and “Soul” are essentially
very expensive advertisements for those
streaming services.
Each studio, depending on their corporate
ownership and streaming positioning, is taking
a different approach. Paramount, like Sony
Pictures, doesn’t have a streaming service to
offload films to. Both have held back their
tentpole releases while selling more midsized
films to streamers. For Paramount, “A Quiet
Place: Part II,” “Top Gun Maverick” and “Mission:
Impossible 7” are waiting for 2021 while “The
Trial of the Chicago 7” fetched a reported $
million from Netflix and Eddie Murphy’s “Coming
to America 2” went to Amazon Prime Video for a
reported $125 million.
HBO Max has had a bumpier rollout than
Disney+, so “Wonder Woman 1984” is an
especially critical gambit for WarnerMedia
following the audacious release of “Tenet.” As
the first tentpole to test theaters reopened
with safety protocols and reduced capacities,
it has made about $350 million worldwide -- a
lot considering everything but far less than
originally hoped for. Credit Suisse analyst
Douglas Mitchelson called the “Wonder Woman”
plans — which include rolling theatrical runs
in China, Europe and elsewhere — “a grand
experiment that could have-lasting implications
if successful.”
Director Patty Jenkins acknowledged the
simultaneous release was a kind of sacrifice, not
just to HBO Max but to families stuck at home.