Critics have continued to weigh in onWonder Woman 1984and the verdict is not great. The sequel originally hit theaters and HBO Max on Christmas Day and, in the time since, its score on Rotten Tomatoes has continually dropped. Now, DC Comics adaptation has officially been downgraded to “Rotten” on the review aggregator. This is, undoubtedly, not what Warner Bros. had in mind.
As of this writing,Wonder Woman 1984carries a59 percent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That puts it just below the “Rotten” threshold. Audiences have been a bit more kind, with the audience rating currently sitting at 74 percent. Be that as it may, critics remain sharply divided on Gal Gadot’s return as the iconic superhero. And much of the positive response was frontloaded as the score has been dropping ever since its debut. The critical consensus on the site reads as follows.
“Wonder Woman 1984struggles with sequel overload, but still offers enough vibrant escapism to satisfy fans of the franchise and its classic central character.”
This is instark contrast to the original Wonder Woman, which was released in 2017. Directed by Patty Jenkins, who also returned for the sequel, the first installment in the franchise sits at a stellar 93 percent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, to go with an 84 percent audience rating. It was truly the first roundly well-reviewed movie in the DCEU at that point. The franchise kicked off in 2013 withMan of Steel. Movies likeBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeandSuicide Squadsimilarly divided critics. Wonder Woman was viewed as a turning point. Movies likeAquamanandShazamfollowed, similarly earning high praise and going on to earn big bucks at the box office.
Wonder Woman, it’s well worth noting, was an enormous financial success, taking in $821 million worldwide.Wonder Woman 1984finds itself in a wildly different situation. Becausemovie theatersare still struggling to get back up and running due to health and safety concerns, WarnerMedia decided to release the sequel, as well as its entire 2021 movie slate, both in theaters and on HBO Max in the U.S. That takes a great deal of earning potential at the box office off the table. Still, the movie has managed to cross the $100 million mark, though it did take a nosedive in its second weekend, indicating that the studio won’t be raking in the dough.
Wonder Woman 1984takes the action to the 80s. It sees the hero contending with not one but two villains. Pedro Pascal plays Maxwell Lord, with Kristen Wiig portraying Barbara Minerva/Cheetah. Chris Pine also returns as Steve Trevor, as unlikely as that may seem, given his fate in the first movie.
Despite the reception, Warner Bros. is eager to get Diana Prince back in the saddle again. The studio has already locked down Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot for Wonder Woman 3, which is on the fast track.Wonder Woman 1984is in theaters and streaming on HBO Max now. This news comes to us viaRotten Tomatoes.
