Meanwhile, Cineworld-owned Regal venues have shuttered their doors around the world once again, and significant markets like New York and Los Angeles remain closed to audiences. In a recent interview with Reuters, “Wonder Woman 1984” director Jenkins warned that the damage done by theaters shutting down entirely will be difficult to undo, and Jenkins is joining the chorus of Hollywood directors appealing to the U.S. government to help save cinemas.

“If we shut this down, this will not be a reversible process,” she said. “We could lose movie theater-going forever.” Related ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Continues Surge, Most Other New Titles Swoon as Holiday Nears End ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Could Reach $600 Million Domestic, $2 Billion Worldwide Related Oscars 2023: Remarkable Transformations Lead the Way in Makeup and Hairstyling Oscars 2023: Best Sound Predictions
Though nearly three-quarters of U.S. theaters are open, and “Tenet” resuscitated the global box office with healthy returns to the tune of more than $307 million, studios like Warner Bros. are continuing to push their movies off into next year, from “Dune” to MGM/United Artists’ “No Time to Die.” “It could be the kind of thing that happened to the music industry, where you could crumble the entire industry by making it something that can’t be profitable,” Jenkins said. She also added, “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.” Another movie heading the straight-to-VOD route is Disney/Pixar’s “Soul,” pushed off its November release and debuting on Disney+ on December 25. But Jenkins and Warner Bros. continue to insist that VOD play is not being considered for “Wonder Woman 1984.” “I really hope that we are able to be one of the very first ones to come back and bring that into everyone’s life,” she said of the movie’s role in hopefully jumpstarting moviegoing again this winter. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.