It seems like only a matter of time before Black Widow joins the list of major studio releases to be delayed. While Disney and Marvel have yet to announce it, signs point to a move for the blockbuster despite its release date still being six weeks out.
The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the movie industry with expected losses to exceed $20 billion. This weekend saw the box office hit a 22-year low with the latest Pixar movie, Onward, dropping a whopping 70% in only its second weekend of release. And it’s only going to get worse.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced that they are recommending no social gatherings of more than 50 people in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus. This will last for eight weeks, which means by the time Black Widow is expected to hit theaters, ticket sales will be significantly lower. Cinema chains have already instituted restrictions to the number of tickets sold per theater to avoid personal contact and just last night, New York City and Los Angeles theaters were ordered to close as a result of the pandemic.
With the two most populated cities in the country making such an announcement, it’s inevitable that Black Widow will see a delay. Fellow MCU productions, Shangi-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Loki, have already halted production, among many others, meaning Marvel’s carefully crafted timeline of movies and television shows may be changing.
The New York and LA announcement could lead to a nationwide shut down of all movie theaters, too. And we’re only a week into the outbreak. Just imagine where we’ll be in a month. It’s unfortunate as well, as theaters are usually our refuge for escaping the problems of our daily lives. But we’re in unprecedented territory now and any movie watching for the foreseeable future should definitely be done in the living room.
