Wonder Woman 3 is in the works, with Gal Gadot returning to star as the title heroine and Patty Jenkins to write and direct the superhero trilogy.
Warner Bros. has confirmed the development of Wonder Woman 3 just two days after the theatrical and streaming release of Wonder Woman 1984.
The sequel, directed and co-written by Patty Jenkins, stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince. Other actors include Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, and Pedro Pascal.
The film was one of the biggest Christmas Day 2020 releases, opening alongside Pixar's Promising Young Woman and Soul.
And Warner Bros. announced they had fast-tracked Wonder Woman 3 following Wonder Woman 1984's stellar box office and HBO Max performance.
Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. chairman, released a statement on Wonder Woman 3 news, saying:
"As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984, we are excited to be able to continue her story with our real-life Wonder Women—Gal and Patty—who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy."
Due to COVID-19, many theaters that would have shown Wonder Woman 1984 are closed.
So, many opted to watch the at home. However, the film generated surprisingly robust ticket sales—at least during pandemic times.
The film also managed to rake in $16.7M from 2,100 North American theaters alongside also being available on HBO Max.
Globally, Wonder Woman 1984 brought in more than $36.1 million from 42 markets over the weekend.
To date, the film's international total sits at $68.3 million and a global tally of $85 million. This is a stunning figure to report in a year beset by dismal box office receipts.
Additionally, the release was the top post-pandemic domestic opening weekend for any film since the pandemic.
As per HBO Max, nearly half of its subscribers watched the film on its launch day. Millions of wholesale subscribers who have access to HBO Max via a cable, wireless, or other partner services also watched the film.
The studio had 12.6M active users as of early December.
Andy Forssell, head of WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer business, said:
"Wonder Woman 1984 broke records and exceeded our expectations across all of our key viewing and subscriber metrics in its first 24 hours on the service, and the interest and momentum we're seeing indicates this will likely continue well beyond the weekend."
"During these very difficult times, it was nice to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where theater viewing wasn't an option."
Despite soaring past box office projections, Wonder Woman 1984 has received mixed reviews. It holds a 65% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 73% audience score, at the time of writing.
We don't know the story yet about the final chapter in the Wonder Woman trilogy. Its production timeline is also unclear since Gadot and Jenkins have Cleopatra in development at Paramount. This is a historical drama that centers on the legendary queen of Egypt.
Jenkins is also set to direct a Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. The new film will follow pilots in a galaxy far, far away.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman 1984 is now available to stream on HBO Max through January 24, 2021.
