With the pandemic ongoing and movie theaters in major markets still closed, studios are shifting their fall and winter releases. Marvel’s Black Widow may just be the next victim of rescheduling.
Variety reports that Disney will likely push back the release of the Scarlett Johansson fronted superhero flick. The movie had most recently been scheduled to hit theaters on November 6. (The November date previously belonged to Marvel’s Eternals, also delayed due to COVID-19.)
While Disney declined to comment on Black Widow, it does seem likely at this point the film will get pushed back. Warner Bros. recently announced its own female-fronted superhero blockbuster Wonder Woman 1984 would be pushed until Christmas. (A decision apparently motivated by the lackluster box office performance by Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.)
Currently, about 70% of movie theaters in the US have reopened. However, most of these are operating at a reduced capacity. In addition, theaters in key markets like New York and Los Angeles remain closed. From the studio perspective, that means it’s going to be difficult to bring in the big bucks, even with a blockbuster film like Black Widow.
More Disney Release Shuffling
Another Disney release planned for November, Soul, may also end up pushed – or relocated.
The animated Pixar flick set a theatrical release date of November 20. Instead of pushing the release date, this one may end up going straight to Disney+. (Again, Disney itself hasn’t confirmed plans for the film yet.)
Even if Soul did head to Disney+, it may be for select subscribers. The studio recently introduced Premier Plus to debut the live-action Mulan. In this model, subscribers pay an extra $29.99 to stream the film before it becomes available to all subscribers at a later date. Soul may follow this premium format, or it may just drop for all subscribers like Disney did for Artemis Fowl and The One and Only Ivan.
So, are you willing to wait longer to see Black Widow in theaters? Or do you want Disney to just drop the digital release already?
Source: Variety
