The Marvel Cinematic Universe might finally be returning to our screens in a matter of days with WandaVision set to premiere on Disney Plus this Friday, but there are plenty of question marks surrounding the viability of the studio releasing Black Widow into theaters when business is still in the doldrums.
Screens around the world first started shutting their doors in March, with many of them yet to reopen to any great degree, and there are no doubt a lot of anxious executives in Hollywood wondering if they’ll need to delay their biggest releases any further. Black Widow has been rumored for a possible Disney Plus debut since last summer, of course, but so far, Kevin Feige has stuck to his guns about the MCU prequel being a theatrical exclusive.
However, as the intended May bow gets closer and the industry takes much longer than expected to rebound, the talk has started up once again. Disney have already set a precedent with Mulan‘s Premier Access model, while upcoming animation Raya and the Last Dragon will follow suit in March, and now Variety is claiming that Black Widow could release concurrently in both theaters and on Disney+.
Of course, Warner Bros. putting their entire slate of 2021 movies onto HBO Max the same day they hit cinemas has proven to be controversial, but it could still be a sign of things to come. After all, fans would certainly be happy to shell out the standard Premier Access price of $29.99 to see Black Widow on schedule as Mulan‘s strong sales figures have shown, but it all comes down to a combination of Feige’s desire to preserve Scarlett Johansson’s swansong as a big screen exclusive and the willingness of audiences to head back to their local multiplex in huge numbers over the next couple of months. In any case, a final decision shouldn’t be too far away.
