'Wonder Woman 1984' to debut in theaters and on HBO Max

“Wonder Woman 1984” isn’t skipping aters or moving to 2021, but it is altering course. last big blockbuster holdout of 2020 is still opening in U.S. aters on Christmas Day but it will also be me available to HBO Max subscribers free of charge for its first month, Warner Bros. said Wednesday.

film will also debut in international aters on Dec. 16.

“As we navigate se unprecedented times, we’ve h to be invative in keeping our businesses moving forward while continuing to super-serve our fans,” said Ann Sarff, Chair and CEO of WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group in a statement.

It is an unprecedented strategy for a film of its size, but a sign of extraordinary measures that many Hollywood studios have h to resort to in COVID 19-era. Most major films that h been set for 2020 have eir delayed atrical releases until 2021 or sent m to streaming platforms for a premium rental price, as Walt Disney Co. did with “Mulan.”

Audiences have t been going back to aters in significant numbers since y began to reopen across country in late August and most studios have pushed ir biggest films, from James Bond film “ Time to Die” to “West Side Story” and “Black Widow” to next year.