It looks like we won’t need to wait much longer to see Wonder Woman 1984. The highly anticipated sequel is coming to HBO Max December 25, the same day it is scheduled to release in theaters. The film will be available for a month on HBO Max in the U.S. included at no additional cost to subscribers.

The Wonder Woman 1984 release date news first broke in November and was confirmed by Warner Bros. The continued adventures of Princess Diana of Themyscira will be available to stream on HBO Max in a matter of weeks.

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According to the video description, "For the first time ever, Wonder Woman 1984 will release in theaters and stream exclusively on HBO Max* on the exact same day. December 25." The film will be streaming on HBO Max for 30 days only, and after that time it will only be playing in theaters. It will likely eventually return to HBO Max, but not before Wonder Woman 1984 has had a proper Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD release.

This great news for fans and for audiences who just don't want to brave going out to a movie theater in the middle of a pandemic. Even better, the movie will be available to stream at no additional cost for HBO Max subscribers (none of that "Premiere Access" nonsense Disney+ pulled with Mulan.) After the cat was let out of the bag, Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins took to Twitter to share the news:

“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,” said Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures. “This is an amazing film that really comes to life on the big screen and, working with our partners in the exhibition community, we will provide that option to consumers in the U.S. where theaters are open. 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.”

“We appreciate how patient audiences have been and given the great anticipation around Wonder Woman 1984," said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. "We are grateful to be able to make this terrifically entertaining movie widely available in these challenging times.”

As its title suggests, Wonder Woman 1984 picks up quite a few years after the original. Plot details have been kept pretty tightly under wraps, but we do know what Diana (Gal Gadot) will be facing off against two villains this time around - the Trumpian business mogul Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and staple Wonder Woman arch-nemesis Cheetah (Kristen Wiig). Chris Pine is also back somehow as Steve Trevor, despite having emphatically exploded at the end of the first film. The details behind his reappearance are unknown, but I suspect some kind of time travel and/or magic is involved.

Originally scheduled for release this past June, Wonder Woman 1984 has endured a few different calendar shifts thanks to the coronavirus. After initially bumping it to October and then to December, Warner Bros. is going to bite the bullet and finally release the sequel rather than bump it again into 2021. It's a smart move - theatrical releases aren't likely to be a viable revenue source anytime in the near future, and dropping a major tentpole blockbuster like Wonder Woman 1984 onto HBO Max is an excellent tactic to lure new subscribers to the service.

After deciding to send Wonder Woman 1984 to HBO Max, Warner Bros. made the shocking announcement that its entire slate of 2021 movies — including Dune and Matrix 4 — will follow this format and hit theaters and HBO Max at the same time.

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Image via Warner Bros.