Theater owners are still struggling to figure out how to survive the pandemic, and they’re still pinning a lot of hopes on Wonder Woman 1984.
John Fithian, head of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), is still holding out hope for Wonder Woman 1984 to hit theaters on Dec. 25. Speaking in a new interview with Variety about the state of the industry, a lot of hope is being pinned on the return of the Amazonian princess.
Asked if he feels the film will open despite the surge of coronavirus cases in Europe, Fithion said, “Yes, it can. Wonder Woman’s audience skews more domestic. In contrast, Tenet was more popular in Europe than America. Wonder Woman”will do well in Asia, and Asia is wide open. China and Japan are doing tons of business right now and Korea is doing pretty well. Warners wants to release Wonder Woman in the markets that are open, but we’ll see if they can.
There is another hurdle, however. Should Wonder Woman 1984 open on time, there is no major blockbuster scheduled until the 25th James Bond film, No Time to Die, in April, and that could cause more issues. “That’s a concern,” said Fithian. ” There are a bunch of movies in January, February and March, but Bond is the next biggie. If Wonder Woman sticks with its Christmas Day opening and people come out for that, we hope that other studios will move titles from later in 2021 into the first quarter. That’s certainly the hope. We need movies to get back into business.”
As of Monday morning, Pfizer has been reported to have a vaccine that has been found 90% effective, and the U.K. government is saying that 10 million doses may be available to its residents by the end of the year, and other countries have discussed previously preparing early to distribute a vaccine. It may not solve our issues by Christmas, but it could mean that the 2021 theatrical schedule may roll a bit more smoothly.
Wonder Woman 1984 is currently scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 25
SOURCE: Variety
