Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman returns in Wonder Woman 1984, which will be shown in some theaters and on HBO Max.
Warner Bros
Patty Jenkins, the director of Wonder Woman 1984, really wanted to release the superhero blockbuster in theaters. “It’s so great on the big screen,” Jenkins said this summer during the DC FanDome event. “We all worked so hard to bring something that would be a big visual spectacular great time. So we’re going to stick it out. We believe in putting it in the cinema.”
But even superheroes can’t defeat the coronavirus pandemic. In mid-November, the filmmakers announced a Christmas surprise: Wonder Woman 1984, which stars Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, will be available for HBO Max subscribers to watch at no extra charge on Dec. 25, the same day it opens in theaters.
How to watch Wonder Woman 1984 from home
If you subscribe to HBO Max
Wonder Woman 1984 is a pleasant holiday gift for HBO Max subscribers, especially because it won’t cost them extra on top of their monthly or annual subscription fee. Right now, HBO Max costs $14.99 a month. When Disney’s live-action Mulan came to Disney Plus in September, even subscribers had to pony up an extra $30 for Mulan (until Dec. 4, when it becomes free for all subscribers). Wonder Woman won’t have that extra charge. Just tune in to HBO Max as you normally would beginning on Dec. 25 and the action will unfold.
If you’re not a subscriber
If you want to see Wonder Woman 1984 and don’t currently pay for HBO Max, you might consider signing up. We have a lengthy explainer on the service, which has a fat library of other movies and programs you could check out, including Lovecraft Country, Rick and Morty, the Studio Ghibli movies and more. There’s a seven-day free trial period, or you could cancel after a paid month if you realize you won’t watch the service enough to make it worthwhile.
Theaters will show it, too
Many moviegoers haven’t been back to their favorite cinema since the pandemic lockdowns began back in March. Some theaters remain closed. And even the theaters that are open are featuring special precautions and reduced seating. But certain theaters will be showing Wonder Woman 1984, the WarnerMedia statement said.
“If you are fortunate to live in a place where theaters are open, we believe we are offering a great option given the Cinema Safe protocols our partners have put in place,” said WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar in a statement. “With this, exhibitors are offering a movie-going experience with social distancing, masks, cleaning and ventilation protocols.”
Last resort: Wait
If you aren’t comfortable with theaters or HBO Max, Wonder Woman 1984 will eventually be issued on DVD and Blu-ray. There’s no date given for when that will happen, but probably sometime late in 2021.
How long is it available on HBO Max?
It’s a little unclear. WarnerMedia announced that Wonder Woman 1984 will be available on HBO Max for “the first month of the film’s release.” After that, the film will remain in theaters, but WarnerMedia hasn’t promised to leave it online. So if you want to watch the HBO Max version, do it by Jan. 25.
What’s it all about?
Warning: Small spoilers for the first film ahead.
Wonder Woman was the third-highest-grossing movie of 2017, behind only Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. A sequel was inevitable, and as the title promises, the action moves to the gung-ho 1980s. The film is set in 1984, the year of the Los Angeles Olympics and there’s some oh-so ’80s big hair and shopping-mall action.
Wonder Woman explores that very 1980s pastime — hanging at the mall.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Gal Gadot plays Wonder Woman, the Amazonian daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta. Her strength and powers far outshine anything the humans can throw at her, but their world also confuses and perplexes her. Her love interest is American GI Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine. He appeared to die in the first film, but come on, Hollywood can’t let such an integral Wonder Woman companion stay dead.
Robin Wright will once again play General Antiope, Wonder Woman’s aunt, in the sequel, despite sacrificing herself for Wonder Woman in the first film. (Maybe she’ll be in flashbacks? Or maybe this film’s plot just stands alone?) Connie Nielsen is also back as Wonder Woman’s mother, Hippolyta, the queen of Themyscira, the island home of the Amazons.
New characters include Kristen Wiig as supervillain Cheetah and Pedro Pascal (yes, The Mandalorian himself, Baby Yoda’s daddy figure) as villain Maxwell Lord.
