The big breaking news in the world of entertainment is that the long-awaited (long, Long, LONG awaited) sequel to DC’s Wonder Woman will finally be released in theaters on Christmas Day… the present we deserve at the end of the long worldwide nightmare that has been 2020.

But that’s not all!

In addition to releasing in theaters, it will be simultaneously debuting on HBO Max.

Now, we all remember when Disney did something similar with the much less heralded Mulan live action remake earlier in the COVID times. You could watch Mulan on Disney-Plus… if you were willing to pay an addition $30 on top of your monthly Disney-Plus fee.

So with that established standard, what would Warner charge for a much more relevant movie? The same amount? A little more?

Try “nothing”.

Wonder Woman 1984 will stream on HBO Max included in the base cost of the package (which, to be fair, is more than Disney-Plus’ monthly rate, but nowhere close to $30/month more). If you subscribe to HBO Max, you can watch Wonder Woman 1984 from the safety of your own home instead of venturing out to the cinema right at the start of winter this year.

This is absolutely amazing news. Amazing! With cases of COVID spiking across our country again, I am certainly not comfortable with going to the cinema yet (and you can take that from someone who has a long history of LOVING to go to the movies), and to know that I won’t be gouged for the option of wanting to watch the movie at home is tremendous.

Will I be sad to miss the chance to see it in the proper theater setting, with better sound and a bigger screen? Absolutely I will; make no mistake. But it’s just not worth it yet, and who knows when it will be again with the current trend? But I would rather have a slightly less enjoyable viewing experience than not get to see the movie at all for months… or have to pay about twice what I would in theaters to rent the movie and have that same lesser experience.

Warner and HBO hit an absolute home run with this win-win news, and they really put pressure on Disney to do something similar with Black Widow. Now that the precedent has been set for blockbuster movies to debut on streaming at the service’s included cost, will Disney brazenly charge folks $30 again for the next MCU offering?

Through definitively no fault of their own, the MCU has had a terrible 2020. Movies like The Eternals and Black Widow have been moved to next year, and Disney-Plus sellers like WandaVision and Falcon & Winter Soldier have been delayed, as well. Meanwhile, Warner Brothers has been making waves with a constant stream of news on Zack Snyder’s Justice League remake (even though it’s not my jam) being offered for free on HBO Max, and now this blockbuster announcement. They really are doing their best to catch up to the MCU! Which is great because healthy competition is always a plus for consumers.

This is all not to mention that I have been personally stoked for WW84 for months now. The trailers have looked fantastic, and I expect Patty Jenkins’ offering to supplant Shazam! as my favorite DC flick since The Dark Knight. The previews have oozed fun and intensity, and to know I’m finally just a little over a month away from getting to see it? Glorious.

So what do you THINK? Are you excited for this news? Do you have HBO Max? If not, will this inspire you to get it? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time… take care!