Ideally, the Black Widow movie would have hit theaters on May 1, 2020. However, the coronavirus pandemic forced Marvel Studios and Disney to push it back to May 7, 2021. Unfortunately, even that date remains uncertain. Theaters are starting to open again, but the pandemic isn’t over and COVID numbers could still rise. Via Deadline, Disney CEO Bob Chapek acknowledged the complex situation during an interview with Bloomberg TV.
When asked if Black Widow will maintain its May 7th date, Chapek replied “Our situation and our conditions change. Just a few weeks ago, theaters in New York and Los Angeles weren’t even open. Now, all of a sudden they’re open, so we’re waiting to see how prospective theatergoers respond to these reopenings. We’re going to remain flexible. We’ll make the call probably at the last minute in terms of how these films come to market, whether it’s Black Widow or any other title.”
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There has also been a lot of speculation that Disney could release Black Widow in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access for $30. It’s unclear how well that worked for Disney’s Mulan remake or Ray and the Last Dragon. Regardless, Chapek reiterated that he favors theatrical releases. But he didn’t shy away from pursuing the hybrid release model.
“We love the theatrical window,” related Chapek. “We think it’s important for building our franchises. At the same time, we don’t think it’s the only way to do it… We’ll see what happens over the next couple of months. So much is changing, it’s such a dynamic environment. It’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen with consumer behavior in the next month as it comes to re-emergence back into the world of normal. We’ll be watching the call carefully and make the call when we have to.”
Do you think Black Widow will keep its May 7 release date? And should it get a simultaneous Disney+ premiere? Let us know in the comment section below!
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