Is Disney Pushing Back ‘Black Widow’s Release? Not Yet.
In light of MGM and Universal’s decision to push back No Time To Die’s release from April 10 to Thanksgiving, many are wondering if Disney and Marvel will follow suit with their upcoming Black Widow movie. It would certainly make sense if they did — blockbuster action movies rake in huge profits overseas, and since thousands of theaters in China, South Korea, Japan, and Italy have shut down, those soaring box office numbers simply cannot be reached. But according to Deadline, Disney is “adamant” that they’re not delaying Black Widow’s May 1 release date.
Some speculation online has claimed that Disney would move Black Widow back to November 1, therefore sending Marvel’s Eternals, currently scheduled for that date, into 2021. But for all intents and purposes, Disney is “staying the course” with its current release slate. Universal has also decided to keep their May 22 premiere for F9.
However, no one can fully predict the effects of the coronavirus over the next few weeks. As of now, the domestic film market is not affected by the virus. “It’s business as usual,” said Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “If theaters aren’t closing in North America, I don’t know why you would pull your movie.” This means that Black Widow and F9’s successes will rely heavily on US moviegoers, as long as fears surrounding the spread of the coronavirus doesn’t keep people away from theaters. So far, the virus has touched 18 states in the US. “This is testing the monolithic nature of these studios,” stated Dergarabedian. “Distributors have to be super nimble in this environment to create a situation that allows for the best outcome for their movies.”
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