Wonder Woman 1984 fell 92% at the Chinese box office during its second week in theaters there. The film debuted in China on December 16, nine days before its stateside premiere on HBO Max and select theaters. After its release, fan reviews on ticketing apps complained about the film's lack of action. The critical reaction mirrored the film's reception in the US.
Initially, Wonder Woman 1984 was well-received. Even though critical reception has fallen in the US since, that did not stop the film from having the highest-grossing weekend for any film during the pandemic. That box office even boosted movie theater stocks and helped revitalized fatalist views on the state of the exhibition industry. Still, it looks like the box office outside of the US is less than promising.
According to THR, the film's box office take in China dropped a whopping 92% in its second weekend. In total, Wonder Woman 1984 took in $1.5 million, bested by Hong Kong actioner Shock Wave 2. The film, which cost roughly $200 million, is now sitting at a total of $23.9 million in China. 2017's Wonder Woman grossed $90.5 million in the country, but the sequel isn't expected to gross much more than what it already has.
One tricky thing about early reviews - studios will typically invite people who are particularly excited to see the film early, potentially inflating initial reception. This could account for the film's lukewarm reception once it was available to general audiences. Wonder Woman 1984 also lost its Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating a stark difference between early reactions and the general public's response.
The fall at China's box office is particularly worrying. Word of mouth drives the Chinese box office more than it does the US box office. If people don't like a film, it's likely they will make it known. With China being the second-largest box office market in the world, Warner Bros. was hoping the theatrical release there could make up for the thousands of theaters closed in the US. Now that it's clear that the Chinese box office won't be making up the difference, Warner Bros. will have to put all their hopes into recouping as much profit as they can through PVOD. Wonder Woman 1984 is still in its first week of release in the US - it has about three weeks left on HBO Max. Once it's done there, it will likely move to PVOD at a premium price, giving Warner Bros. the potential to make up for the losses.
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