Warner Bros is reportedly looking at possibly skipping a theatrical release for “Wonder Woman 1984” and going straight to streaming amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The studio’s preference would still be to release the upcoming DC film in theaters, but they are reportedly looked at “a streaming alternative, probably as a direct-to-consumer,” two sources with knowledge about the situation told the Wrap in a piece published Friday. (RELATED: REPORT: Coachella Potentially Rescheduled To October Due To Coronavirus Fears)
With theaters closing across the country due to the pandemic, there is no date exactly when the movie houses will open again, and once they do there could be a shortage of dates for those films that had to be postponed. “WW1984” is currently set to come out June 4. (RELATED: Here Are The Members Of Congress Self-Quarantining After Meeting Person With Coronavirus At CPAC)
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A concern over streaming is that there is no evidence yet that video on demand can generate the same kind of revenue and profits that studios will typically see with the theatrical release of blockbuster hits. The studio hopes that “Wonder Woman” will be a huge summer hit and generate $1 billion in revenue worldwide.(RELATED: Pearl Jam Postpones North American Tour Over Growing Coronavirus Concerns)
Warner President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldstein told the outlet that there had been no discussions about streaming the highly-anticipated movie amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re looking to release the movie theatrically, that’s our plan,” Goldstein shared.
The upcoming film’s producer Charles Roven called the idea of streaming it “ludicrous.”
“It’s ludicrous if you consider how big a movie this is,” Roven shared. “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.”
“There may come a time we have to make that decision,” he added. “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.”
The original 2017 “Wonder Woman” hit grossed $822 million based on a budget between $120 million and $150 million.
As previously reported, Universal shared last week that it would be releasing “Trolls World Tour” directly on over-the-top platforms along with three other films already in theaters before they closed due to the pandemic, “The Hunt,” “The Invisible Man” and “Emma.”