After More Postponements, What Can Moviegoers Expect for the Rest of 2020?
First of all, before someone asks (even if it’s just one person), in this article, I will be leaving Netflix and the streaming gang out of the conversation. Now, for those who haven’t taken their fast and fresh dose of the film industry in the past few days, not only will we, cinema and DC Comics fans, have to wait for a couple more months to watch Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day but also contain our excitement until next year to watch Candyman.
While movie nerds (like myself) had to reset their timers to see Gal Gadot throwing her “lasso of truth” to fight Kristen Wig as she takes on the role of comic book supervillain Cheetah, I do believe Warner Bros.’ decision to delay Wonder Women 1984 from October 2nd to December 25th was the correct one. Why? I’ll explain it.
Firstly, a $200-million budget movie called TENET, also from Warner Bros. and the first major theatrical release during COVID times. The time-bending action-thriller, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, debuted on big screens in the United States on September 3rd, one week after premiering in several territories internationally. Despite already grossing over $200M globally, it is far from cashing what it needs to at least break even, let alone making a profit. Even with Nolan’s loyal fan base, TENET finally being screened at five drive-ins in the greater Los Angeles area, and Warner Bros. being able to negotiate a 65–35 split with exhibitors, the film will play the long game. (If you like guesstimates, check this article by Forbes). With no other massive production coming out any time soon, might as well leave the field even more open for TENET, also considering Wonder Woman 1984 wasn’t cheap (around $180M) and will need to make some bank.
Secondly, reduced capacity at open locations and major markets suchlike New York City and Los Angeles still uncertain when they’ll greenlight indoor facilities to finally reopen. In the case of TENET, many critics drove from New York State to Connecticut to watch the movie. On the other hand, Wonder Women is an enormous intellectual property and will certainly draw a much larger audience, especially after the 2017 box office hit. Also, without any sort of disrespect, but Gal Gadot as the protagonist of a movie currently carries more weight than John David Washington. However, although postponements lead to extra marketing costs, if the situation with movie theaters worldwide exponentially improves from here until December, Warner Bros. could potentially dream about making a profit out of this sequel.
Now, a couple of things may happen with WW84 premiering in December. The first, it may follow the same path as Aquaman, released on December 21, 2018, and grossed $1.148 billion. The second, it won’t be as lucrative because of the competition from Free Guy (Dec. 11), West Side Story (Dec. 18), Coming 2 America (Dec. 18), and The Croods: A New Age (Dec. 23). The third, it might push Dune to 2021; the star-studded epic science fiction directed by Denis Villeneuve, and also distributed by Warner Bros., is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18.
Another big turnoff announced this past week, particularly for the horror aficionados, was that Candyman will now only debut in 2021. The sequel to the 1992 supernatural slasher film was directed by Nia DaCosta, who also co-wrote the screenplay along with producers Win Rosenfeld and Jordan Peele.
At this point, with 2020 being so unpredictable, I wouldn’t be surprised if more changes in schedule are announced in the following weeks or months. However, as of now, here are some of the major movies that still set to hit movie theaters in 2020 (per release date):
• Death on the Nile
• Black Widow
• No Time Die
• Soul
• Free Guy
• West Side Story
• Coming 2 America
• Dune
