With high-for-COVID box office returns ($16.7 million domestic, reaching $85 million worldwide) the Christmas Day domestic debut of Wonder Woman 1984 was clearly enough of a win for Warner Bros. and their streaming partner HBO Max. After three full days of topping the trending chatter on social media, a third Wonder Woman film was announced by the studio.
Gal Gadot will once again wear the Amazonian armor, and Patty Jenkins will write and direct.
The pair recently announced their intention to make a Cleopatra film, and Jenkins is also crewing up with Disney and Lucasfilm for Rogue Squadron, eyeing a 2023 release date. Nevertheless, according to Variety, the third entry in the franchise has been “fast-tracked.”
Toby Emmerich, the current head of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said “fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984,” adding, “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.”
An HBO Max press release boasted “with nearly half of the platform’s retail subscribers viewing the film on the day of its arrival, along with millions of wholesale subscribers who have access to HBO Max via a cable, wireless, or other partner services. HBO Max also saw the total viewing hours on Friday more than triple in comparison to a typical day in the previous month.”
While the film came out of the gate with strong reviews, Wonder Woman 1984 took something of a beating on social media for what some home viewers considered a desultory plot. Others wondered if Diana Prince hooking up with Steve Trevor temporally possessing the body of a random Washington, DC bachelor didn’t cross a strange ethical line? (This will surely come up again at conventions, so Jenkins and Gadot ought to prep a good response now.) The score on Rotten Tomatoes currently rests at 65 percent.
Nothing is yet known about the next film, if Chris Pine or Kristen Wiig will be back, or when it will take place. (If she stays in the 1980s, let’s hope for more than just that one Frankie Goes To Hollywood needle drop.) Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Women will be seen next year in Zack Snyder‘s cut of Justice League on HBO Max.
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