Wonder Woman 1984 and more
These blockbusters appear directly in the home theater
Gal Gadot as the superhero in "Wonder Woman 1984" – not in the cinema for the time being, but on Sky Ticket
© (c) 2020 WBEI. WONDER WOMAN TM & (c) DC.
Whether "Mulan", "News from all over the world" and now "Wonder Woman 1984": More and more films are looking for salvation – partly – outside the cinema.
The longer the corona pandemic lasts, the more resourceful the industries concerned have to become in order to reach their customers despite all adversities. This also applies to the heavily affected cinema industry. The most recent example is the comic book adaptation "Wonder Woman 1984". Postponed several times with the firm intention of bringing Diana Prince's (Gal Gadot, 35) new adventure to the cinema, the film will now be available in Germany from February 18 on Sky Cinema or on demand via the Sky Ticket streaming service.
Both Sky and Warner Bros. have already emphasized that "Wonder Woman 1984" will also come to the cinema as soon as this is possible again in Germany. This ensured "that the cinemas will also have access to this extraordinary successful film when they reopen," says Matthias Kistler, Vice President Acquisitions at Sky Deutschland.
On the other hand, "Mulan" did not even make it to the German cinema. When the Disney film became available in Germany on September 4, 2020 via Disney + instead of appearing in the cinema, this step was still considered an absolute exception. But then it turned out for distributors, operators, employees and film fans that the corona pandemic would make going to the cinema impossible for much longer than initially feared – and "Mulan" would not remain an isolated case.
The noble endeavor of director Christopher Nolan (50) and film studio Warner Bros. to bring the sci-fi film "Tenet" to the cinema in the summer of 2020 despite massive restrictions was not financially rewarded – and has never resulted in one previous step. Warner Bros. announced for the domestic US market that it will release its entire 2021 lineup simultaneously in the cinema and on the in-house streaming portal HBO Max. Including "Dune" or "Matrix 4". Due to the lack of HBO Max in Germany, this is a model that cannot be implemented one-to-one in this country. Nevertheless, it is a decision that is also turning the German cinema market upside down.
The search for the perfect compromise
Because while "Wonder Woman 1984" is still aiming for a theatrical release after streaming availability, the two Warner films "Judas and the Black Messiah" and "The Little Things" with Oscar winners Denzel Washington (66), Jared Leto (49) and Rami Malek (39) use a different publishing strategy. The cinema date that has not yet been set has priority, Sky will then show them 28 days later.
Streaming instead of a screen?
Other important films that did not make it to the cinema in Germany include the animated film "Soul" or the western drama "News from all over the world". Like "Mulan" but at no additional cost at the beginning of the release, the Pixar film "Soul" was released on December 25, 2020 on Disney +. In this country it will no longer make it to the screen, but in some markets, such as the Chinese one, it could also be seen in the cinema.
The situation was similar for "News from all over the world" with superstar Tom Hanks (64) and the German young hope Helena Zengel (12, "Systemsprenger"). The film by film studio Universal Pictures originally had German theatrical release on January 7, 2021. Ultimately, however, nothing came of it and the streaming service Netflix struck. The Western has been available to subscribers there since February 10th.
In another film, however, Netflix bit the granite among others: The production company MGM is said to have rejected an offer of the rumored 600 million US dollars to acquire the exclusive rights to the new "Bond" strip "No Time to Die" . After several postponements, Daniel Craig's (52) farewell as 007 should finally appear in Germany on October 8th – in the cinema.