Due to the worldwide pandemic, the movie industry is currently working around some incredibly difficult decisions concerning how to release the newest anticipated projects whose debuts have been put on hold for months already. One of the most impactful of those decisions was made by Warner Bros., who took bold steps in announcing that they would be releasing their entire 2021 slate of films simultaneously in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service. This will begin with Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day.
Longtime Warner Bros. collaborator and director Christopher Nolan recently slammed this decision, calling the studio "the worst streaming service," undoubtedly worrying that this move could do major damage to the future of the industry. This sentiment was backed by a recent interview with one of the most prominent names in the business, although she is still trying to embrace the way she is releasing her own new blockbuster.
NEWS
In a recent interview with CNN, Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins expressed her support for Christopher Nolan's latest criticisms of Warner Bros. while backing her own decision to release the Wonder Woman sequel both in theaters and on HBO Max this month.
Jenkins commented on what made this call different for her to make, even though she shares Nolan's worries about the future of movie-making:
"I agree with Chris. I don't think it's great for the future of filmmaking when Covid has passed. However, our film was different. It was presented in a very different way, which is that we are at the height of the pandemic right now and people are really suffering and struggling and the choices are to sit on our film and wait or to release it."
WHAT THIS MEANS
Being a director as successful as Patty Jenkins has been over the past few years, both of her points of view make plenty of sense looking at the big picture of everything happening in the world right now. In her particular case, Wonder Woman 1984 has faced other delays to its release even before the pandemic hit as it was first set to debut in November 2019, and then it was pushed back three more times through 2020. The project was completed a long time ago, and it's clear that Jenkins wants it out in the world so the fans can finally see this adventure no matter how it arrives and enjoy any kind of new material.
In terms of agreeing with Nolan, Jenkins doesn't hold back her worries about what could happen to not only the future of movies but the future of movie theaters, should this trend continue. One of the greatest joys for both movie fans and moviemakers is seeing the finished product in theaters with millions of other people with the same enthusiasm for the work.
As the world waits for life to return to normal, movies and theaters are taking blows never seen before in this lifetime, and the general hope is that theatrical business will live on and have the chance to thrive again when all is said and done.
