Something to look forward to: With the pandemic decimating the cinema industry and many theaters around the world still closed or re-closing, the highly-anticipated Wonder Woman 1984 is set to become the next major blockbuster to get a theatrical and streaming release on the same day: December 25.

The sequel to 2017's wildly successful Wonder Woman arrives in open cinemas and HBO Max on Christmas Day. It will stay on the streaming service for a month and comes at no extra charge to subscribers of the $15pm service---other movies that get simultaneous cinema/streaming launches usually charge extra for the privilege of watching a new release at home.

Wonder Woman 1984, like many titles this year, has seen its launch date postponed several times. It will continue showing in theaters for several weeks following its HBO Max run before being available through rental on-demand.

In countries where HBO Max isn't available, Wonder Woman 1984 will land in theaters on December 16. In the UK, which doesn't get HBO Max, a second lockdown is in place until at least December 2. Should that be extended beyond December 16, Wonder Woman 1984 could be made available as a premium VOD release.

"As we navigate these unprecedented times, we've had to be innovative in keeping our businesses moving forward while continuing to super-serve our fans," Ann Sarnoff, CEO of Warner Bros., said in a statement. "We realize that a lot of consumers can't go back to the movies due to the pandemic, so we also want to give them the option to see Wonder Woman 1984 via our HBO Max platform."

A huge number of movies have been delayed until next year because of Covid-19, including No Time to Die---Daniel Craig's last outing as James Bond. Christopher Nolan's Tenet was one of those that braved the pandemic, but audiences wary of packing into enclosed theaters meant it performed under expectations.