'Wonder Woman 1984' pushed to August due to Covid-19 pandemic

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 'Wonder Woman 1984' will now hit cinemas on August 14 instead of June 5. Photo: Warner Bros

Warner Bros. is postponing Diana Prince's return to the big screen. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wonder Woman 1984 will now hit cinemas on August 14 instead of June 5.

The studio also indefinitely pulled In the Heights – an adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical that was due out June 26 – as well as Scoob – an animated film based on Scooby-Doo characters set for May 15.

Malignant, a thriller from Aquaman director James Wan, was originally scheduled to open on Aug. 14, but was bumped for Wonder Woman 1984.

Those three movies remain undated for now.

When we green-lit Wonder Woman 1984, it was with every intention to be viewed on the big screen and are excited to announce that Warner Bros. Pictures will be bringing the film to theatres on Aug 14," Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman, said in a statement. "We hope the world will be in a safer and healthier place by then."

The delays were inevitable as multiplexes across the country remain closed to help halt the spread of the novel virus. Warner Bros. was always committed to debuting its Wonder Woman sequel in cinemas, and the studio felt it was realistic for theatres to be up and running again by August.

As Hollywood continues to grapple with the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the entertainment business, studios have been busy postponing major movies en masse. It's a growing list that includes Disney's Black Widow and Mulan, Universal's Fast & Furious entry Fast 9, MGM's James Bond follow-up No Time To Die and Paramount's A Quiet Place sequel. Until now, studios delayed tentpoles through May, but stopped short of pulling summer releases.

Universal's Minions: The Rise Of Gru had been the one exception – the animated sequel was previously set to release in July but was indefinitely postponed because Illumination's studio closures in France meant the movie wouldn't be completed in time.

Wonder Woman 1984 is a sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman, DC's first standalone movie to spotlight a female superhero. The first film earned US$821mil globally, and became a massive critical and commercial success. – Reuters