How to watch Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max this Christmas

We’re just days away from the release of Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, and it can’t come soon enough. After the year we’ve just had, the ability to stream this hotly anticipated DC Universe movie in our own homes is the perfect tonic for these unprecedented times.

Wonder Woman 1984 will be available for HBO Max ($15 at HBO Max) subscribers to watch at no extra charge on Dec. 25, the same day it opens on the big screen in theaters in the US and Canada. And it isn’t the only blockbuster you can unwrap on Christmas Day: Pixar’s Soul streams on Disney Plus on Dec. 25 too.

What time will the film be available?

Need a movie break after opening those morning gifts? You won’t have to wait until the evening. HBO Max tweeted that the film will be available beginning at 9 am PT/12 pm ET, so you can put it on while your holiday dinner cooks.

How to watch Wonder Woman 1984 from home

If you subscribe to HBO Max

Wonder Woman 1984 is a pleasant holiday gift for HBO Max subscribers, especially because it won’t cost them extra on top of their monthly or annual subscription fee. Right now, HBO Max costs $14.99 a month. When Disney’s live-action Mulan came to Disney Plus in September, even subscribers had to pony up an extra $30 for Mulan (until Dec. 4, when it becomes free for all subscribers). Wonder Woman won’t have that extra charge. Just tune in to HBO Max as you normally would beginning on Dec. 25 and the action will unfold.

HBO Max is currently doing a deal

If you don’t currently subscribe to the streaming service, HBO Max is currently doing a deal. Sign on for six months and you’ll get a 22% discount at $70. Not bad.

If you have HBO, you could get HBO Max for free

Depending on which provider HBO you could potentially get HBO Max for free. It’s pretty complicated, but we have all the information you need to figure things out here.

Roku users now have access to HBO Max

Just recently it was announced that Roku has struck a deal which allows its subscribers access to HBO Max. Roku users who already use the HBO app will automatically update to to HBO Max. You can find more information here.

If you’re not a subscriber

If you want to see Wonder Woman 1984 and don’t currently pay for HBO Max, you might consider signing up. We have a lengthy explainer on the service, which has a fat library of other movies and programs you could check out, including Lovecraft Country, Rick and Morty, the Studio Ghibli movies and more. But on Dec. 3, HBO Max announced it would no longer offer a free one-week trial — and you know that’s to stop Wonder Woman fans from getting the movie for free, then canceling the service. Still, you could sign up and cancel after paying for a month if you realize you won’t watch the service enough to make it worthwhile.

On Dec. 1, director Patty Jenkins tweeted that Wonder Woman 1984 will be the first film on HBO Max available in 4K Ultra HD, HDR 10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Not quite sure what that means for you? We break it down here, but essentially, if you have the right device, you’ll be able to watch the film in better resolution and, in the case of Dolby Atmos, better sound.

Excited to announce that #WW84 will be the first film on HBO Max available in 4K Ultra HD, HDR 10, Dolby Vision AND Dolby Atmos! Can’t wait. IN THEATERS on Dec. 25th and exclusively streaming in the US on @hbomax. PLEASE find the biggest and highest quality screen you can!! pic.twitter.com/wNREvcTUjB

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) December 1, 2020

Theaters will show it, too

Many moviegoers haven’t been back to their favorite cinema since the pandemic lockdowns began back in March. Some theaters remain closed. And even the theater chains that are open in the US and around the world have introduced special precautions and reduced seating. But certain theaters will be showing Wonder Woman 1984, the WarnerMedia statement said.

In the UK and selected international territories, Wonder Woman 1984 is planned to be released in theaters Dec. 16. In the week that follows, it’ll open in international theaters across Europe, South and Central America, Africa and Asia. The film opens in Australia and New Zealand on Dec. 26, boxing day.

“If you are fortunate to live in a place where theaters are open, we believe we are offering a great option given the Cinema Safe protocols our partners have put in place,” said WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar in a statement. “With this, exhibitors are offering a movie-going experience with social distancing, masks, cleaning and ventilation protocols.”

Last resort: Wait

If you aren’t comfortable with indoor theaters or HBO Max, Wonder Woman 1984 will eventually be issued on DVD and Blu-ray. There’s no date given for when that will happen, but probably sometime late in 2021.

How long is it available on HBO Max?

It’s a little unclear. WarnerMedia announced that Wonder Woman 1984 will be available on HBO Max for “the first month of the film’s release.” After that, the film will remain in theaters, but WarnerMedia hasn’t promised to leave it online. So if you want to watch the HBO Max version, do it by Jan. 25.

What’s it all about?

Warning: Small spoilers for the first film ahead.

Wonder Woman was the third-highest-grossing movie of 2017, behind only Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. A sequel was inevitable, and as the title promises, the action moves to the gung-ho 1980s. The film is set in 1984, the year of the Los Angeles Olympics and there’s some oh-so ’80s big hair and shopping-mall action.

Gal Gadot plays Wonder Woman, the Amazonian daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta. Her strength and powers far outshine anything the humans can throw at her, but their world also confuses and perplexes her. Her love interest is American GI Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine. He appeared to die in the first film, but come on, Hollywood can’t let such an integral Wonder Woman companion stay dead.

Robin Wright will once again play General Antiope, Wonder Woman’s aunt, in the sequel, despite sacrificing herself for Wonder Woman in the first film. (Maybe she’ll be in flashbacks? Or maybe this film’s plot just stands alone?) Connie Nielsen is also back as Wonder Woman’s mother, Hippolyta, the queen of Themyscira, the island home of the Amazons.

New characters include Kristen Wiig as supervillain Cheetah and Pedro Pascal (yes, The Mandalorian himself, Baby Yoda’s daddy figure) as villain Maxwell Lord.