In November 2020, a month before Wonder Woman 1984 was slated to come out, Warner Bros announced that in addition to releasing the sequel in theaters, it would also be made available on HBO Max for a 31-day period. This was done in response to the pandemic , and the studio would soon adopt this release strategy for all its 2021 movies. While Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins understands why WB decided to do this, she doesn’t want this to happen to one of her movies again, and now she’s shared her thoughts about movies that are meant to go straight to streaming.
Last week, Patty Jenkins described the decision to put Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max as “heartbreaking,” and while she’s open to making TV show for a streaming service like Netflix, she wouldn’t want to make a movie for them because she’s a big proponent of the big screen experience. More recently, in a panel discussion hosted by The Los Angeles Times, along with echoing her thoughts on day-and-date premieres, the filmmaker said the following about movies that are made specifically for these platforms:
All of the films that streaming services are putting out, I’m sorry, they look like fake movies to me. I don’t hear about them, I don’t read about them. It’s not working as a model for establishing legendary greatness.
That’s a pretty big blanket statement for movies that only play on streaming services. Are all the flicks platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon deliver to the world quality products? No, but the same can be said for a lot of ones that play in theaters. Plus, when you have movies like Roma, The Irishman and Mank (all of which were released on Netflix) that are scoring recognition at the Academy Awards and other ceremonies, clearly at least some of these cinematic tales are being talked about by both film fans and the general public. Of course, let’s not forget that it’s hard work making any type of movie, regardless of the venue where it’s shown.
Still, it’s all a matter of personal preference, and for Patty Jenkins, she would rather both watch and make movies meant for the big screen. As far as Warner Bros sending its theatrical movies to HBO Max this year, that was done to combat extreme circumstances, and the studio has already struck a deal with AMC Theatres to ensure that all of its 2022 movies play exclusively in theaters for 45 days. Presumably this plan, or one similar to it, will stay in effect in the years to follow, so Jenkins won’t need to worry about WB implementing a day-and-date release with Wonder Woman 3.
Before Patty Jenkins helms another solo adventure starring Gal Gadot’s Diana of Themyscira, she’s spending time in a galaxy far, far away by directing the next Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron. That will be released on December 22, 2023. Jenkins and Gadot are also re-teaming for a movie about Cleopatra, and that will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. I suspect if the director hasn’t already talked with the studio about ensuring that Cleopatra doesn’t go straight to Paramount+, she will in the near future.
