There are only three things that dominate our social media timeline this week: Wittybunny, the Resorts World attack, and Wonder Woman.
The film, which stars model and former beauty queen Gal Gadot in the title role, highlights women empowerment and the lesson on the power of “always telling the truth,” and “doing what is always right.” And for those who have waited all their lives for the big screen adaptation, their belief that Dian, like her counterpart in DC Extended Universe, is an advocate of life and against any kind of oppression, putting humanity first. She’s nothing but a screen hero that everyone needs in these troubled times.
Born to an all-female race of Amazons supposedly put on the Earth by Zeus (her father) to be a guiding light for humanity, Diana (Gadot) knows from childhood that she wants to be a warrior. This dream even makes her defy her overprotective mother Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), who tells her the story of how her people were enslaved by mankind, how Ares the god of war corrupted them, and how he killed all the other gods including his father.
Through the guidance of Martial leader Antiope (Robin Wright), who initially tutors her in secret, Diana turns into a powerful and confident fighter.
Along with her tribe, she’s been isolated from humans all her life. But this changes when she meets an American pilot (Chris Pine), who crashes into her world. Then the pilot tells her about the massive conflict that’s raging outside the island. Convinced that she can stop the threat, Diana leaves her sheltered life on the paradise island for the first time. Later she discovers her power and what her true purpose is.
Complementing the drama behind one of the most recognizable super heroes in history are dramatic action scenes and impressive visuals that made it easy for the film’s marketing to sell the movie. In fact, the first solo feature film about the famed Amazonian princess-warrior, is breaking box office records when it premiered in most part of the world on June 1.
In North America, the Patty Jenkins film has grossed $38.6 million, the fourth highest this year. Internationally, according to Box Office Mojo, it opened in a total of 55 markets this weekend, including China, UK, Russia, Italy, Korea, Mexico and Brazil earning another $47.1 million for a worldwide total of $86 million, against a production budget of $149 million.
In review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the latest hero to get the live action film treatment holds an approval rating of 93 percent based on 242 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. In the Philippines, Wonder Woman bested the opening-day gross of the musical romantic fantasy film Beauty and the Beast by a million.
The musical raked in P47 million on its first day at the local tills in March.
In a statement from local distributor Warner Bros. Philippines, it said that the film attracted 205,041 total admissions from 510 screens nationwide. Wonder Woman’s other first-day records include the 2nd Biggest Opening Day of the Year, right after Fast & Furious 8’s P56 million.
With Star Cinema resurrecting Darna on the big screen, it’s natural to ask if we could expect another super heroine movie that is never short of excitement. While a number of fans anticipate the movie because Erik Matti is at the helm and features Liza Soberano with a stellar cast, it’s better not to keep our expectations high. More than the drama involved in the story, Darna is an action feature to begin with. Hence, if Darna wouldn’t be any close to how Wonder Woman was made, or if it wouldn’t be, at least in 2D, then what’s the point?
