As the coronavirus crisis continues and movie theaters are imperiled as a result, Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins has held firm that her new movie will still open in theaters rather than streaming services. Speaking with Reuters, Jenkins talks about her film being delayed three times due to COVID-19 and how important it is to not let moviegoing become extinct.

　　"I don't think any of us want to live in a world where the only option is to take your kids to watch a movie in your own living room, and not have a place to go for a date," Jenkins said. "I really hope that we are able to be one of the very first [films] to come back and bring that into everyone's life."

　　Director Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated Tenet tried to plant a similar flag after many, many delays--but time-bending marvel has in hindsight not proven to be much of a litmus test for whether theaters are back since releasing September 3. Variety recently clocked Tenet as netting $250 million globally, but characterized its performance in the US as "stalling."

　　Jenkins sees these numbers as a natural reaction to the pandemic and theaters struggling to get into lockstep over safety procedures--and still being in denial over how seismic 2020 has been in thinking about the movie business. Instead, Jenkins says she can see a near-future where streaming will be the home for less expensive films and theaters being the home for big-budget action movies.

　　"If we shut this down, this will not be a reversible process," Jenkins warned. "We could lose movie theater-going forever."

　　Wonder Woman 1984 is slated for a Christmas Day release this year.

　　David Wolinsky on Google+