“Wonder Woman 1984” earned $1.5 million at the China box office over the weekend, a 92% decline from its debut in the region.
The Hong Kong action movie “Shock Wave 2” earned $64.5 million in China and the Chinese fantasy movie “Dream of Eternity” grossed $39 million over the weekend.
“Wonder Woman 1984” scored a lackluster 7.8 on the Chinese ticketing app Maoyan and a 6.5 from the Chinese social network Douban, suggesting audiences weren’t enthused about the movie.
It fared better in the US over the weekend with $16.7 million, the best opening of the pandemic.
The movie’s debut weekend was a slow one across the board for China, whose theatrical industry has otherwise started to rebound after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic (the Chinese box office has even surpassed North America as the world’s biggest this year). The Chinese movie “The Rescue” also fell below projections with $36 million last weekend.
But this weekend was different, as the Hong Kong action movie “Shock Wave 2” earned $64.5 million in China and the Chinese fantasy movie “Dream of Eternity” grossed $39 million. Yet “Wonder Woman 1984” continued to flounder in the region.
“Wonder Woman 1984” fared better in its debut in US theaters over the weekend. It made $16.7 million, the best opening since the pandemic began, but a sign that US movie theaters are far from a full recovery. 2017’s “Wonder Woman” earned $103 million in its opening weekend in the US. It ultimately grossed $822 million worldwide, $90.5 million of which came from China.
“Wonder Woman 1984” debuted simultaneously on WarnerMedia’s streaming service HBO Max in the US over the weekend (it’s not available internationally yet). WarnerMedia said on Sunday that nearly half of its retail subscribers (those who subscribe directly to Max rather than through a cable provider) watched the movie on its first day on Friday, but didn’t provide specific viewership numbers. Max had 12.6 million activations as of December 8.
Industry experts previously said that piracy could be an issue once the movie had become available to stream.
“A pristine, high-definition copy of the movie will be available in everyone’s queues within days,” Shawn Robbins, the Box Office Pro chief analyst, told Business Insider last week.
But a lack of enthusiasm for “Wonder Woman 1984” may have contributed to its dramatic decline at the China box office. It scored a 7.8 on the Chinese ticketing app Maoyan and a 6.5 from the Chinese social network Douban, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie has generally been favored less than its predecessor, “Wonder Woman,” among audiences and critics.
It has a 65% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and a 73% audience score based on over 1,700 user ratings (“Wonder Woman” has a 93% critic score and 84% audience score). The sequel received a B+ on Cinemascore, which surveys audiences on a movie’s opening night (the first movie received an A).
The estate features a 13,600-square-foot mansion, two guesthouses, a pool, and a tennis court.
Then, in August, both Variety and Daily Mail reported that Bezos had become the new owner of an adjacent house, which he is said to have purchased for $10 million in July.
The three bedroom, five bathroom house is directly next door to the Warner estate and shares a hedge with the compound.
Jeff Bezos appears to be compiling a massive Beverly Hills compound.
Back in February, the Amazon CEO purchased the Warner estate, a piece of Hollywood history belonging to billionaire David Geffen. The $165 million sale broke a record for the most expensive home sale in California state history.
Then, in July, Bezos appeared to make another purchase, this time right next door: a $10 million home that shares a hedge line with the Warner estate. According to property records viewed by both Variety and Daily Mail, Bezos is the new owner of the 1930s-era home on a side street in Beverly Hills’ Benedict Canyon neighborhood.
A spokesperson for Amazon did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment on the sale.
While there are few photos of the estate and the adjacent home, Los Angeles County has plenty of aerial views of the property that give us our best look yet at Bezos’ rumored purchases.
Jack Warner, the cofounder and onetime president of Warner Bros., built his estate in 1937.From left: former Warner Bros. CEO Ted Ashley, Jack Warner, and Frank Sinatra in 1969.
AP
Warner started constructing the property in 1926, beginning with three acres of what used to be farmland in Beverly Hills, California. Slowly but surely, Warner started adding parcels of adjacent land and building out the grounds of the estate, adding a golf course and two ponds.
Warner liked to throw extravagant parties that were attended by stars like Olivia de Havilland and Jimmy Stewart and moguls like Howard Hughes. An invitation to a party at the estate was apparently one of the most sought-after in Hollywood in the late 1930s and early ’40s.
From left: Warner, Audrey Hepburn, and director George Cukor.
AP
Warner filled the estate with expensive art, including a portrait of his wife, Ann, painted by Salvador Dali, according to Architectural Digest.
Warner died in 1978, and Ann Warner owned the house until she died in 1990. That same year, the music and movie tycoon David Geffen bought the whole estate, including the art, for $47.5 million, according to Forbes. The sale set a record at the time.
Geffen, who is worth an estimated $9 billion, has a multimillion-dollar real-estate portfolio that includes homes in Malibu, California, and in New York’s East Hampton, and Manhattan.
A man on the beach outside David Geffen’s Malibu, California, home.
Geffen is also the owner of a $590 million superyacht called the Rising Sun, where he frequently hosts fellow moguls and celebrities – including Jeff Bezos.
Bezos has vacationed aboard the yacht near the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. Last year, he was pictured on the deck of the yacht alongside former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, model Karlie Kloss, and investor Josh Kushner.
A post shared by David Geffen (@davidgeffen) on Aug 6, 2019 at 3:52am PDT
Geffen frequently hosts high-powered celebrities on the 400-foot-plus Rising Sun. Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper, and Barack and Michelle Obama have all been spotted on board.
In February, Bezos became the new owner of the Warner estate, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Journal reported that Bezos purchased the property for $165 million, making it the most expensive home sale in California history. No brokers were involved in the sale, according to The Journal.
Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, had been house hunting in Los Angeles and touring mansions throughout the area in previous weeks, the New York Post reported.
Photos shot of the interior of the estate by Architectural Digest in the early ’90s show a screening room, an expansive bar, and a dining room that could easily fit 14 guests.
The grounds also include a tennis court and manicured gardens. Geffen spent $45 million renovating the property, including $20 million on landscaping alone, The Journal reported.
At one point, the property also included a nine-hole golf course and a “motor court” with a garage and gas pumps, according to Architectural Digest, though it’s not clear if those amenities are still on the property.
Bezos reportedly bought an adjacent property in July for $10 million. That property is on Tropical Avenue, which is perpendicular to the Warner estate. It shares a hedge with the compound, though it is currently accessed from a different street.
That adjacent property was built in 1930 and was last sold for $5.45 million, according to Variety. It features three bedrooms and five bathrooms, six fireplaces, a rear patio, and rose and vegetable gardens.
It’s not clear what Bezos would want with an adjacent property, but he has a history of snatching up homes near his larger estates. In 2017, he bought the house next door to his previous Beverly Hills mansion for $12.9 million. His ex-wife, McKenzie Scott, was granted both homes in the couple’s divorce.
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“Wonder Woman 1984” is Gal Gadot’s fourth film as the titular character.
Warner Bros.
“Wonder Woman 1984” premiered in theaters and on HBO Max on December 25, Christmas Day.
The blockbuster sequel is the first in a series of Warner Bros. movies that will debut on HBO Max and theaters at the same time.
HBO Max subscribers don’t have to pay extra to stream “Wonder Woman 1984,” but the movie is only available for one month.
The HBO Max streaming app costs $15 per month, though it’s usually included if you already pay for HBO through your cable provider.
“Wonder Woman 1984” premiered in theaters and on HBO Max on December 25. The movie is the first in a series of Warner Bros. films that will be available for streaming the same day they hit the big screen.
Director Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot and Chris Pine return for the sequel to 2017’s “”Wonder Woman.” The action picks up 40 years after the conclusion of the last film. Kristen Wiig plays Cheetah, a villain who can match Wonder Woman’s superhuman abilities, and “The Mandalorian” star Pedro Pascal plays nefarious businessman Maxwell Lord.
“Wonder Woman 1984” will be available on HBO Max for just one month starting December 25. It’s possible the movie will return to the service at a later date once it finishes playing in theaters. Viewers outside the US will be able to see “Wonder Woman 1984” in theaters starting December 16, with dates staggered through January based on region.
Updated on 12/25/2020 by Steven Cohen. The language in this article has been revised for timeliness. Added details about which devices you can watch “Wonder Woman 1984” on in 4K HDR.
How to watch ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ on HBO Max
“Wonder Woman 1984” is now streaming on HBO Max. The movie premiered on December 25. Streaming access to the film is included with an HBO Max subscription and doesn’t require any extra fees. “Wonder Woman 1984” will remain on HBO Max for 31 days. The movie will then be removed from the HBO Max library, but it’s possible that it could be added back in the future.
The HBO Max service is priced at $15 per month, and new members can currently receive over 20% off if they prepay for six months. You can sign up directly through the HBO Max website, with your cable subscriber, or through select streaming services, like Hulu. If you already pay for HBO through your cable provider, you should be able to access HBO Max for no extra cost, with some restrictions.
The HBO Max app is available on Apple devices, Android, Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, Xbox, PlayStation and Samsung smart TVs. Deals bringing the HBO Max app to Roku and Fire TV were announced just weeks before the release of “Wonder Woman 1984,” ending months of tense negotiations between AT&T, Amazon, and Roku.
Does ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ support 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos?
“Wonder Woman 1984” is the first movie on HBO Max to stream in 4K with support for high dynamic range (HDR). The film is available in HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos on supported devices, matching the maximum quality typically seen on Netflix and Disney Plus.
Here’s a rundown of streaming devices with support for 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos through HBO Max:
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Cube
Apple TV 4K
Roku Ultra 4800x
Roku 4K TVs
Roku Premiere (Dolby Atmos not supported)
Roku Streaming Stick+ (Dolby Atmos not supported)
Google Chromecast Ultra
Chromecast with Google TV (Dolby Atmos not supported)
Android TVs
AT&T Streaming Box
Xfinity X1 (Xi6) and Flex
What other Warner Bros. movies are coming to HBO Max?
The next scheduled Warner Bros. release on HBO Max is “The Little Things” starring Denzel Washington and Rami Malek, which is due out on January 29, 2021. Other major releases set to arrive on the streaming service throughout 2021 include “Dune,” “The Matrix 4,” “The Suicide Squad,” “The Conjuring 3,” and more.
Hopefully HBO Max will be able to maintain the level of technical quality it’s setting with “Wonder Woman 1984” as more theatrical releases launch in 2021. HBO Max representatives said 4K support will arrive for more films and TV shows in 2021, but it’s unclear which will be prioritized.
Warner Bros. announced last week that it will debut all of its 2021 movies on HBO Max the same day they arrive in theaters.
The filmmaker Christopher Nolan, a longtime partner of Warner Bros., called HBO Max “the worst streaming service” in a scathing statement on Monday.
The New York Times reported that WarnerMedia did not alert major talent agencies to the plan until 90 minutes before the announcement was made, leaving actors and filmmakers wondering how they will be compensated to make up for backend deals determined by box office.
The production company Legendary, which partnered with Warner Bros. on two of the movies (“Godzilla vs Kong” and “Dune”), was not made aware of the plan beforehand and will likely file a legal challenge, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Are you a current or former WarnerMedia employee with more to share? Contact the author at tclark@businessinsider.com or DM him on Twitter @TravClark2.
The announcement sent shockwaves through Hollywood.
While movie studios have experimented with alternatives to theaters amid the pandemic, like premium video-on-demand and streaming, Warner Bros.’ plan is the most disruptive one yet.
It didn’t take long for the backlash to start.
Christopher Nolan, the director behind “Tenet” – which Warner Bros. released to theaters in September to underwhelming box office in the US – criticized the plan in an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Monday, particularly the way Warner Bros. reportedly went about it, calling the situation “very, very, very, very messy” and a “real bait-and-switch.”
The New York Times’ Brooks Barnes and Nicole Sperling reported on Monday that WarnerMedia didn’t consult with talent before making the decision. According to The Times, the company “kept the major agencies and talent management companies in the dark until roughly 90 minutes before issuing a news release. Even some Warner Bros. executives had little warning.”
“Yeah, it’s sort of not how you treat filmmakers and stars and people who, these guys have given a lot for these projects,” Nolan told ET. “They deserved to be consulted and spoken to about what was going to happen to their work.”
Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story, but declined to comment for The Times.
Nolan, an outspoken defender of movie theaters, issued an even more scathing statement to The Hollywood Reporter calling Max “the worst streaming service.”
Here’s the statement:
“Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service. Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker’s work out everywhere, both in theaters and in the home, and they are dismantling it as we speak. They don’t even understand what they’re losing. Their decision makes no economic sense, and even the most casual Wall Street investor can see the difference between disruption and dysfunction.”
Nolan’s comments are a notable separation from Warner Bros., as the filmmaker has established a longrunning partnership with the studio that includes “Tenet,” the “Dark Knight” trilogy, and “Inception.”
Idris Elba in “The Suicide Squad”
Warner Bros.
The talent is angry
The reason some talent in the industry are angry about Warner Bros.’ plan, and its failure to consult with them about it, is because many actors and filmmakers strike “backend” deals that rely on box-office returns.
Some talent will take a smaller upfront payment in exchange for backend pay that would be a percentage of a movie’s box office if they think the movie will be a hit.
In this instance, Warner Bros. plans on releasing to HBO Max tentpole films that under normal circumstances could have been box-office blockbusters, such as “The Suicide Squad” and “Dune.”
According to THR, “The Suicide Squad” director James Gunn was “not pleased” when Warner Bros. offered a “lackluster formula” for compensating him and other talent, and that was only after it made the announcement.
Warner Bros. has tried to sweeten the deal for some. “Wonder Woman 1984” star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins are both getting more than $10 million, according to The Times. The movie will arrive on Max and in theaters on December 25.
But this payday seems to have led to tensions with other stars. Representatives for actors like Margot Robbie (“The Sucide Squad”), Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix 4”), and Will Smith (“King Richard”) felt their clients weren’t being treated fairly by comparison, according to The Times.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the movies will stream on HBO Max for one month before leaving and playing exclusively in US theaters. They will also play as intended in international theaters outside the US, where Max isn’t available. (While “Tenet” struggled domestically, it earned $350 million worldwide, suggesting some international markets are recovering from the pandemic as it continues to rage in the US.)
Max will pay Warner Bros. a 31-day licensing fee for the movies equal to what the studio’s portion of ticket sales would be in the US. WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar told Vox’s Peter Kafka that that will play a part in compensating talent.
But actors and filmmakers aren’t the only ones upset with Warner Bros.’ plan.
WarnerMedia reportedly blocked an offer from Netflix for a major tentpole
Warner Bros. has also caught the ire of the production company Legendary, which financed 75% of “Godzilla vs Kong,” according to THR and The Times.
Both outlets reported that Netflix had made a sizable offer to Legendary for the streaming rights to the monster crossover movie, but WarnerMedia blocked it (THR reported that the offer was “something north of $225 million” while The Times reported it was “at least $250 million”).
Now the production company, which also partnered with Warner Bros. on “Dune,” is likely to file a legal challenge, according to THR.
Both “Godzilla vs Kong” and “Dune” cost more than $150 million to produce.
Last year’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”
Warner Bros.
Exhibitors aren’t happy, either
Movie-theater chains are also upset.
AMC, the largest theater chain in the world, issued a rebuke of Warner Bros.’ plan on Thursday, saying: “Clearly, WarnerMedia intends to sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability of its movie studio, and that of its partners and filmmakers, to subsidize its HBO Max startup. As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense.”
AMC’s stock was down 16% following the announcement.
Cineworld, the owner of Regal, was less scathing, saying in a statement that it expects Warner Bros. to “reach an agreement about the proper window and terms that will work for both sides.”
A senior exhibition source told Business Insider’s Claire Atkinson that WarnerMedia’s plan is “a lousy move in an ecosystem where everybody needs each other.”
WarnerMedia’s EVP of direct-to-consumer, Andy Forssell, feels differently. In an interview with Business Insider on Thursday following the news, he said that the plan “supports the ecosystem.”
“It’s a very stable thing and there’s a lot of value in that,” he said. “Predictability is at a premium right now.”
WarnerMedia clearly expects to capitalize on that “stability” to boost Max, which has struggled to convert customers who already subscribe to HBO amid brand confusion and a lack of support on Roku, one of the biggest streaming distributors.
John Stankey, the CEO of WarnerMedia’s corporate parent AT&T, said on Tuesday that Max had 12.6 million activated users, up from 8.6 million in September.
For comparison, Disney Plus has more than 73 million subscribers since launching in November. NBCUniversal’s Peacock had 22 million sign-ups by October after fully launching in July, though it’s unknown how many are paid subscribers.
A potential preview of how Max’s 2021 plan could fare will be the debut of “Wonder Woman 1984” on December 25, when it will be available on Max and in theaters.
Are you a current or former WarnerMedia employee with more to share? Contact the author at tclark@businessinsider.com or DM him on Twitter @TravClark2.
