LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - The Warner Bros movie studio on Friday (Sept 11) postponed the debut of superhero sequel Wonder Woman 1984 until Christmas Day as many theatres remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The film starring Gal Gadot had been scheduled for release in cinemas on Oct 2 but will now debut on Dec 25.

It was the next big-budget Hollywood movie slated for theatres.

"Because I know how important it is to bring this movie to you on a big screen when all of us can share the experience together, I'm hopeful you won't mind waiting just a little bit longer," director Patty Jenkins said in a statement.

Movie studios have been shuffling their schedules for months as the industry tries to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced theatres around the world to shut their doors in March.

Cinemas have slowly reopened with capacity limits, and moviegoing is rebounding in countries such as China, the world's second-largest film market.

But in the United States, theatres remain closed in major moviegoing hubs including Los Angeles and New York.

Warner Bros, owned by AT&T, tested the market with the release of Christopher Nolan's thriller Tenet in late August.

The movie, which cost more than US$200 million (S$270 million) to produce, had generated global ticket sales of US$146.2 million through last weekend.

The next upcoming Hollywood blockbuster is Black Widowfrom Walt Disney's Marvel Studios. It is currently due to debut in theatres on Nov 6.

James Bond movie No Time To Die, from Comcast's Universal Pictures and MGM Studios, is scheduled for Nov 20.