Gal Gadot stars as Wonder Woman in “Wonder Woman 1984.”
Warner Bros.
“Wonder Woman 1984” soared into theaters on Christmas day and secured the highest box office opening of any film released domestically since the coronavirus pandemic crippled the entertainment industry.
On Sunday, Warner Bros. revealed that the film tallied $16.7 million in the U.S. and Canada. The theatrical success of the film has led the studio to fast-track a third installment in the Wonder Woman franchise, the company said. It will be written and directed by Patty Jenkins, who helmed the previous two films.
Internationally, the film has collected nearly $70 million since debuting in foreign markets last week.
The “Wonder Woman” sequel debuted in theaters and on AT&T‘s streaming service HBO Max on the same day.
The company said that nearly half of its subscribers viewed “Wonder Woman 1984” on Christmas day. As of early December, the streaming service had around 12.6 million customers.
”Wonder Woman 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations across all of our key viewing and subscriber metrics in its first 24 hours on the service, and the interest and momentum we’re seeing indicates this will likely continue well beyond the weekend,” said Andy Forssell, executive vice president and general manager, of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer division. “During these very difficult times, it was nice to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where theater viewing wasn’t an option.”
Private watch parties and large format screens like IMAX and Dolby were the most popular avenue for moviegoers to see the film over the holiday weekend, the company said.
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