The movie’s chances of box office success may have been severely hampered by the ongoing effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, but now that Wonder Woman 1984 is heading to HBO Max as well as cinemas on Christmas Day, you can guarantee that millions of families will either be braving the trip to their local multiplex or gathering around their TV at home to watch what was once named as the single most anticipated blockbuster of 2020 back in simpler times.
It feels like we’ve been waiting forever to see Patty Jenkins’ superhero sequel, which was originally scheduled for November of last year before getting delayed again and again, with one of the major reasons it was decided to send the movie to streaming being the fear that audiences would eventually lose interest if Gal Gadot’s return as Diana Prince was held off for any longer.
Now, with its release quickly approaching, Wonder Woman 1984 has screened for a select group of critics, and the early reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, as you can see below.
Yesterday saw #WonderWoman1984 in an @IMAX theater. Was my first time seeing a movie in a theater since pandemic began. No matter what system you have at home, nothing will ever replace the magic of seeing a movie on a huge #imax screen. pic.twitter.com/mN77qNIYrr
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) December 5, 2020
I've seen #WonderWoman1984!@PattyJenks literally made an 80s movie in every way, making it so unique for today. It feels both bigger than the first WW while simultaneously more contained.
Lots of Diana Prince and some epic Wonder Woman moments as @GalGadot literally soars! pic.twitter.com/QluelKwYly
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) December 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/DorianParksnRec/status/1335297976516837377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1335297976516837377%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcollider.com%2Fwonder-woman-1984-reactions-reviews%2F
I prefer Wonder Woman to Wonder Woman 1984. But I also much prefer seeing filmmakers take new, big swings with sequels and that’s definitely what Patty Jenkins and co. do here. Not everything adds up, but the value of selflessness, love and compassion do shine through. #WW84 pic.twitter.com/xG4JS0NVbv
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) December 5, 2020
I was invited by @WarnerBrosUK to see an early screening of the new @WonderWomanFilm yesterday and I’m still smiling.#WonderWoman1984 is the film the world needs right now, no matter what sized screen you get to see it on.
I’ll be sharing some non-spoiler thoughts very soon. pic.twitter.com/FJv2FSObsm
— Luke Bugg “The Geek Of Steel” (@thegeekofsteel) December 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/amy_geek/status/1335298275587461120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1335298275587461120%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcollider.com%2Fwonder-woman-1984-reactions-reviews%2F
Huge news: Wonder Woman 1984 is fantastic! The story is excellent & has a great, timely message; it packs in a ton of surprises; and amazing work is done with both Cheetah & Max Lord (Wiig & Pascal are both stellar). Get hyped, because it's the real deal. #WonderWoman1984 #WW1984 pic.twitter.com/9UQLyxn3gx
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) December 5, 2020
I’m so happy to report that #WW84 is an absolute blast from start to finish. An exceptional compliment to the first film, it’s stuffed w/ heart, hope, love, action, romance & humor. @PattyJenks, @GalGadot & team delivered one of DC's best sequels. I was in tears when it ended. pic.twitter.com/ivPkBFmehd
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) December 5, 2020
Saw #WonderWoman1984 yesterday, & it was AWESOME, I loved it! Then had the honor to speak w/@PattyJenks & @GalGadot, articles coming this week!#WW84 #WonderWoman
— Mark Hughes (@markhughesfilms) December 5, 2020
Watched Wonder Woman 1984 last night at a virtual press event! It was wonderful! Kristen Wiig is phenomenal as Barbara, the opening 10 minutes will bring tears to your eyes …I absolutely loved it! @pattyjenks and @galgadot knock it out of the park! #WW84 @wonderwomanfilm pic.twitter.com/HVNGmkuorT
— Jenna Busch-Henderson (@JennaBusch) December 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/TheEricGoldman/status/1335300307757088768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1335300307757088768%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcollider.com%2Fwonder-woman-1984-reactions-reviews%2F
Honored to have been among the first press to see #WonderWoman1984! I enjoyed the first film, but I loved #WW1984 even more. Although I wish we'd gotten the change to see it earlier, the movie came out at possibly the perfect time for its hope, optimism and message. pic.twitter.com/k2yY32UHrT
— Meagan Damore (@metathor) December 5, 2020
Of course, the early reactions for almost every big name movie that gets screened in advance tend to be enthusiastic to the point of hyperbole and nobody ever has a bad word to say, but Wonder Woman is still arguably the best entry in the entire DCEU, so the sequel stands every chance of at least matching, if not surpassing, its predecessor.
It could also be a glimpse into the future of cinema, with Wonder Woman 1984 the first Warner Bros. title to debut simultaneously in theaters and on streaming, something that diehard supporters of the big screen experience are going to have to get used to from the studio, and it’ll be interesting to see if Christmas Day audiences agree with the hugely positive first reactions.