When Warner Bros. announcedWonder Woman 1984will be simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max in the United States, the studio also confirmed the DC sequel wouldnot be available to stream in 4K Ultra HD. However, director Parry Jenkins has now revealed thatWonder Woman 1984will become the first title on HBO Max available in 4K when it debuts on Christmas day.
The highly-anticipated DC sequel’s long road to a simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release started when Warner Bros. opted to postpone the film’s debut from June to August 2020. The decision was prompted in part by the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on movie theaters, which had been forced to close their doors across the world in an effort to minimize the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, the studio would delay the release ofWonder Woman 1984twice again before finally settling on the simultaneous Christmas day release, reportedly in part due topressure from the powers that be at AT&T, the parent company of WarnerMedia, who wanted the studio to make the film available on an over-the-top service.
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At the time of the simultaneous release announcement, HBO Max titles could only be streamed at a maximum resolution of 1080p and there had been no word on when an option to view 4K content would be added. In addition to being available in 4K,Wonder Woman 1984will also be the first HBO Max title offered in HDR 10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos upon its debut. These video and audio capabilities will also beavailable on supported devicesincluding Apple TV 4K, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, Amazon Fire TV Cube and 4K Fire TV Edition smart TVs, Chromecast Ultra, AT&T TV, and supported Android TV devices. WarnerMedia also confirmed plans to expand these capabilities to additional HBO Max titles while adding support for additional devices throughout 2021.
Wonder Woman 1984will be available on HBO Max for 31 days before being removed from the service for the remainder of its theatrical run. Warner Bros. has setinternational release dates for the sequelin countries where HBO Max is not yet available, with certain markets receiving the film before its debut in the U.S. in an effort to curtail piracy. In the post announcing the new 4K capabilities, Jenkins urged fans to find the “biggest and highest quality screen” to viewWonder Woman 1984.
Of course, options may be limited or non-existent for those living in countries without HBO Max. For instance, France isplanning to re-open theaters on December 15, but much of Europe remains in lockdown mode with no plans to change course at this time.
TheWonder Womansequel may not be the only Warner Bros. blockbuster heading to HBO Max. WarnerMedia reportedlyblocked a Netflix bid forGodzilla vs. Kongin order to make an offer for the Legendary Pictures film to be added to its own streamer.
Wonder Woman 1984will be released in the U.S. in theaters and on HBO Max on June 01, 2025.
