It may seem like forever since Wonder Woman graced the screens of cinemas everywhere, but in actuality it'll only be a little over two years between director Patty Jenkins' first foray into the DC Comics universe, and her second outing, Wonder Woman 1984. And, as we all know, it would have been a lot sooner if the original 2019 release date Warner Bros. had planned actually stuck, which has us wondering just why the studio would delay a film that's assured to print them so much money. Well, recently, one of the film's producers, Charles Roven, delivered the answer to just what all of the hold up is about, and it all came down to this:
We always wanted the date that we are on right now. The studio felt that until their slate for the year before came together—and they had an amazing end of 2018—that they needed to have a big what I call aircraft carrier, a ‘tentpole’, in [2019]. We had a very rushed pre-production because Patty also did the TNT show and we had a very rushed post-production schedule in order to make the date that we were on, which was November 1, 2019. We were doing it because the studio said they really needed it, and then at a certain point they came to us and they said, ‘You know what, you guys are right. Let’s go back to the month that you guys released Wonder Woman 1 in, and take the extra time.’
Originally slated for December 13, 2019, Wonder Woman 1984 was shifted to November 1, 2019, before eventually having its wish granted with the final extension to a June 5, 2020 release date. With Wonder Woman bowing on June 2, 2017, the film was positioned to become a hit at the summer box office that year with its $102 million opening weekend.
As the second film in the superpowered Gal Gadot starring saga could more than likely outdo that number, it's best to give it the most advantageous release date possible to get the job done. So far, Wonder Woman 1984 is running unopposed in its current slot, ready to campaign for that box office vote in similar conditions to its first time out.
So, what made Warner Bros. change its mind? Well, it looks like one film may have given the studio the confidence to let Wonder Woman 1984 be the summer blockbuster it always wanted to be. That film is the studio's heavily anticipated Mike Flannigan directed adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep, also known as the direct sequel to one of King's most well known works, The Shining. That film was moved up itself to a November 8, 2019 release date, showing that Warner Bros. clearly has a good amount of faith that the film will deliver the goods.
But, more importantly, and to the point that Charles Roven mentioned in his remarks to Collider, Warner Bros. has decided that maybe it isn't the best decision to rush the second installment of one of their biggest superhero hits into theaters. With Aquaman helping mend fences between the studio and DC Comics fans, and Shazam looking to be another hit in the making, the choice to not pull another Justice League does feel like a refreshing reinforcement of recent strategy.
Wonder Woman 1984 will kick down the doors on theaters worldwide on June 5, 2020.
