Why Moving ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Could Deepen Movie Theaters’ Troubles
Warner Bros.’ decision to move “Wonder Woman 1984” from October to Christmas Day could potentially help “Tenet” boost its domestic box office. But it will be little comfort for thousands of theaters that now face renewed uncertainty as studios mull yet another wave of release slate changes. “There was a big push by the major chains to get their theaters open, and now it’s looking like they overplayed their hand,” Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock told TheWrap. “Now, they’re facing at least six weeks of no major new releases, and possibly longer if the end-of-year slate collapses. For three weeks, cautious optimism was beginning to build as nearly 3,000 theaters in the U.S. and Canada reopened with capacity restrictions and safety protocols that multiple theater owners tell TheWrap were well received by customers. Numbers were steadily rising at the box office, including a reported $20 million four-day opening for “Tenet” on Labor Day weekend. But a series of setbacks came this past weekend. Shortly after the “WW84” move was announced on Friday, Universal and MGM announced that it would move the Nia DaCosta horror film “Candyman” out of its late October release to an unspecified date in 2021. Then, WB...
Read original story Why Moving ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Could Deepen Movie Theaters’ Troubles At TheWrap
