Most 'Wonder Woman' Theater Viewings Are as Private Screenings: Warner

Some 180 Imax screens generated 7% of the $16.7 million opening weekend U.S. and Canada box office receipts from Wonder Woman 1984, Colliers analyst Steven Frankel wrote investors Monday. Private watch parties and large-format screens drove ticket sales and were the most popular option among consumers, said WarnerMedia Sunday, calling private rentals an “innovative and popular way for audiences to feel comfortable watching the film in their own social bubbles.” WarnerMedia didn’t disclose how many HBO Max subscribers streamed the movie since launch Friday, saying only, “nearly half of the platform’s retail subscribers” viewed the film that day, "along with millions of wholesale subscribers who have access to HBO Max via a cable, wireless, or other partner services.” HBO Max's total viewing hours Friday more than tripled vs. a typical day in the previous month, it said. The movie is included in HBO Max subscriptions for a month in a “strategic response to the impact of the ongoing global pandemic" (see 2012170031). The movie will then leave the streaming platform, continuing theatrically in the U.S. and globally with customary distribution windows.