Following Warner Bros.’ announcement that “Wonder Woman 1984” will release both on HBO Max and in theaters Christmas Day, AMC Entertainment CEO and President Adam Aron has stated that the movie theater chain is “fully onboard” with the release plan.
“For many months, AMC has been in active and deep dialogue with Warner Brothers to figure out how best this cinematic blockbuster could be seen at AMC Theatres in these unprecedented times,” Aron wrote in a statement obtained by Variety. “Given that atypical circumstances call for atypical economic relationships between studios and theatres, and atypical windows and releasing strategies, AMC is fully onboard for Warner Brothers’ announcement today.”
Aron reiterated AMC’s commitment to exclusive theatrical releases, but affirmed that the company has “clearly demonstrated this year that we are flexible and remain open to evolving long-standing business models, provided that we do so in ways that improve the industry ecosystem for all players.”
Aron added, “We hope movie lovers enjoy ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ during the holidays this year at AMC.”
This is a stark reversal of AMC’s stance earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, when the chain refused to play any of Universal’s films following the studio’s decision to open “Trolls” on premium and in theaters simultaneously. Universal released “Trolls” via PVOD on April 10 amid widespread closures of movie theaters and experienced significant profitability, earning $100 million in rentals within the film’s first three weeks of release in North America.
Read Aron’s full statement below.
Movie fans across the United States, Europe and the Middle East will be excited to learn that the release of Wonder Woman 1984 this holiday season is right around the corner, and that AMC will show this eagerly awaited movie on our big screens all across our global network.
For many months, AMC has been in active and deep dialogue with Warner Brothers to figure out how best this cinematic blockbuster could be seen at AMC Theatres in these unprecedented times. Given that atypical circumstances call for atypical economic relationships between studios and theatres, and atypical windows and releasing strategies, AMC is fully onboard for Warner Brothers’ announcement today.
AMC continues to believe that exclusive theatrical releases benefit consumers, filmmakers, studios and exhibitors. Even so, we also have clearly demonstrated this year that we are flexible and remain open to evolving long-standing business models, provided that we do so in ways that improve the industry ecosystem for all players. We have instituted novel approaches with other movie studios this year. We are doing so again, this time with Warner Brothers to facilitate the specific release of this important movie. We hope movie lovers enjoy Wonder Woman 1984 during the holidays this year at AMC.
In showcasing Wonder Woman 1984, we especially note AMC’s commitment to the safety and health of our moviegoing guests and associates at our theatres. Our comprehensive and extensive AMC Safe & Clean protocols were unveiled this summer, having been designed in consultation with current and former faculty of Harvard University’s prestigious School of Public Health and in partnership with Clorox. Our commitment to AMC Safe & Clean already has allowed us to responsibly and safely welcome literally millions of moviegoers to enjoy seeing movies at AMC Theatres.
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