WW84's Patty Jenkins says streaming release was "detrimental"

Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins has opened up about how the movie's same-day release on HBO was detrimental.

The film, which was originally planned to release in December 2019, got delayed over a year and came out at the end of last year when it was released in cinemas in most countries as well as being available to HBO Max subscribers in the US at no extra cost.

"It was the best choice in a bunch of bad choices at the moment," said the director, while speaking at a CinemaCon panel in Las Vegas on Thursday (August 16), also calling her movie's release a "heartbreaking experience" (via Deadline).

What to Read Next

wonder woman, gal gadot, kristen wiig, chris pine

Warner Bros.

"It was detrimental to the movie," continued Jenkins.

The sequel to the 2017 Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine only grossed $46.5 million in its domestic market and $166.5 million worldwide against a $200 million budget.

Jenkins' first movie in the DC Universe focused on the female superhero saw a spectacular gross of $822.8 million globally.

WW84 was expected to be one of the biggest movies of the year but ended up being a flop.

"I knew that could have happened," continued the director. "I don't think it plays the same on streaming, ever. I'm not a fan of day-and-date and I hope to avoid it forever. I make movies for the big-screen experience."

Amanda Edwards//Getty Images

Jenkins, who previously directed for TV shows like Arrested Development, Entourage, The Killing and I Am the Night, said she would never make a movie for Netflix (or any other streaming service) that would set for a short theatrical run before landing online.

"I like working with Netflix for television, I wouldn't make a movie there or any streaming service with those terms," she said. "It's hard to market a movie when it has a limited run."

Wonder Woman 1984 is out now in US cinemas and HBO Max. In the UK, it's available to rent at home now.