WONDER WOMAN 1984 GRABS $5.5 MILLION IN U.S.

LOS ANGELES: “Wonder Woman 1984” used its lasso of truth to rope in $5.5 million over the New Year’s holiday. The sequel also ensnared another $10.1 million from overseas markets, bringing its global total to $118.5 million. That’s not a disastrous figure given how much coronavirus has upended the movie business, but it does represent a steep 67% drop domestically and is a far cry from the grosses of pre-pandemic blockbusters. Stateside, “Wonder Woman 1984” has earned $28.5 million.

The superhero sequel, which is currently getting some social media backlash for not rising to the level of its beloved predecessor, is being simultaneously released on HBO Max in a bid to bolster the Warnermedia streaming service and as a concession to a global health crisis that’s left the theatrical distribution landscape severely diminished. The company has issued some vague numbers touting “Wonder Woman 1984’s” popularity on HBO Max, but little in the way of hard data. It did announce that Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins will reunite for a third film in the franchise, a sign that it believes the Amazonian warrior is a vital part of its plans for growing its DC cinematic universe.

Beyond “Wonder Woman 1984,” Universal and Dreamworks Animation’s “The Croods: A New Age” pulled in $2.2 million in its sixth week of release. That pushes the animated sequel’s domestic haul to $34.5 million and its global total to just under $115 million. The film is being released due to a pact between the studio and major exhibitors such as AMC and Cinemark by which the movies can get released premium video on-demand with two weeks of their theatrical debuts. In return, struggling theater chains get a cut of the digital revenues. Universal also released “News of the World,” a western that reunites Tom Hanks with his “Captain Philips” director Paul Greengrass. The film grossed $1.7 million, pushing its domestic total to $5.4 million.