'Wonder Woman 1984' struggles in China, grosses $38.5 million overseas

Diana Prince may be able to best Cheetah, but she’s no match for a global pandemic.

Wonder Woman 1984 opened to a less than heroic $18.8 million in China over the weekend and a disappointing $38.5 million overseas, reported Reuters.

That’s far less than the $38 million that the first Wonder Woman grossed in its opening weekend in China and likely means that the follow-up will earn far less than the $90.5 million that its predecessor pulled in from the country over the course of its run.

China is one of the few theatrical markets where moviegoing had shown signs of life during a public health catastrophe, but revenues around the country were still down 30%.

Wonder Woman 1984 wasn’t the only blockbuster hopeful that sputtered. The Rescue, a Chinese action movie, made just under $36 million in its initial weekend. That’s far below projections and could mean the film will lose money.

Wonder Woman 1984 was intended to be one of the holiday season’s biggest releases, but with coronavirus cases rising, Warner Bros. has opted to debut the film in the US on HBO Max when it opens in cinemas on Dec. 25.

It’s getting a more robust rollout overseas. The film opened this weekend in 32 foreign markets. Wonder Woman 1984 pulled in $3.6 million in Taiwan, $2 million in Thailand, $1.7 million in Brazil, and $1.6 million in Mexico and Japan.

Wonder Woman 1984 brings back Gal Gadot as the Amazonian warrior princess with Patty Jenkins returning as director. The film follows Wonder Woman in the Reagan era as she does battle with Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a businessman and Trump doppelganger.