Wonder Woman 1984 opened to an underwhelming $18.8 million in China, behind expectations and a less-than-wondrous start for WarnerMedia as it embarks on a bold plan to release its films both in theaters and on HBO Max.
In total, Wonder Woman 1984 opened to $38.5 million overseas as it began rolling out in 32 territories a week ahead of its Dec. 25 debut on HBO Max and in those cinemas that are still open amid the ongoing pandemic. That included $5 million from Imax theaters.
The first Wonder Woman (2017) debuted in China to $38 million on its way to a total haul of $90.5 million. At its current pace, the $200 million sequel, which reunites director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot, could struggle to earn much more than half of that total.
While the China box office had made a major comeback after being decimated by the novel coronavirus pandemic, analysts are seeing signs of softness again. A number of other countries — including many major European markets — have seen cinemas reclose in recent days because of a surge in cases (similar to the U.S.), further hampering the performance of the Wonder Woman follow up.
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