The much-awaited superhero movie ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ will release across the US on December 25 this year, Warner Bros announced on Wednesday. The movie, which was earlier scheduled to launch in June and had been delayed to the COVID pandemic, will release simultaneously in theatres and on the streaming platform HBO Max.

The studio held on to the release of the film in a bid to premiere it on its own streaming platform. The film cost $200 million, and not releasing it on virtually is a gamble the studio is taking as Hollywood scrambles to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It wasn’t an easy decision and we never thought we’d have to hold onto the release for such a long time but COVID rocked all of our worlds,” wrote star Gal Gadot on her social media accounts.

At the end of her announcement, Gadot had one important message, “Keep safe and wear a mask.”

In some other countries, the movie will hit the theatres on December 16. Before the pandemic, blockbuster movies ran only on the big screen for a theatrical window of 90 days, but with theaters closed in many parts of the US, including New York and Los Angeles, distributors have been forced to innovate.

“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 WarnerMedia studios and networks chairwoman Ann Sarnoff.

The sequel to 2017’s $800-million-grossing “Wonder Woman” will see Gadot reprise the title role as one of the comic book universe’s biggest female superheroes.

Chris Pine also returns for the sequel, which is set in the 1980s, decades after the World War I-set first movie. Patty Jenkins returns to direct.

The original “Wonder Woman” received the best reviews of any of the inter-connected DC Universe superhero movies from Warner Bros., which also include the latest Superman and Batman films.