After Marvel announced today that they’re delaying the release date of Black Widow indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans are now petitioning online for the studio to release the movie on Disney Plus.
Who would’ve thought that the novel coronavirus, which was only a mildly concerning outbreak in its early days back in December, would go on to cripple almost every industry in the world and afflict more than 160 countries? As of now, more than 7,900 people have died as the result of the pandemic and global communities have confirmed more than 197,000 cases.
Even some high profile celebrities in Hollywood, including Tom Hanks and Idris Elba, have contracted the disease and are currently under quarantine. In addition, the entertainment industry will likely lose $20 billion in revenue, marking an unprecedented decline as more studios and companies shut down production or postpone the release date of their titles.
With the virus now rapidly spreading throughout the United States, health officials are calling for social restrictions. Consequently, most features, including blockbusters such as A Quiet Place II, No Time to Die and Peter Rabbit 2 have all delayed their release date, and Marvel’s Black Widow is the next big name to follow suit.
Since there’s no telling when things may start to take their normal course, MCU fans are asking the Mouse House to release the movie on their newly launched streaming platform.
Can Black Widow go on @disneyplus please? That would be awesome! Thanks! @Marvel @MarvelStudios
— Osvaldo (@YungChino911) March 17, 2020
Just drop Black Widow on Disney plus tomorrow or something pic.twitter.com/uEoyCaiyuM
— SacredScofield (@ScofieldSpecter) March 17, 2020
@MarvelStudios @Disney @disneyplus @Marvel For the sake of my heart and sanity… Please follow suit with other movie releases and release @theblackwidow straight to digital instead of postponing 😭😩🙏
— Grace 💙 (@LghtOf1000stars) March 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/FranklinCounty1/status/1239975238907002881
Release #BlackWidow on @disneyplus!
— Alex Hernandez (@alexthoth) March 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/sensatehours/status/1239974732063059968
@disneyplus you know what to do
#BlackWidow pic.twitter.com/DOtj0kGezw— The dude always talking bout movies (@Its_jamarco) March 17, 2020
Frankly, seeing as how things are turning out for the film industry, this isn’t an entirely unreasonable idea. Disney has already demonstrated their willingness to support the cause of stopping the growth of the COVID-19 pandemic by releasing the home edition of The Rise of Skywalker earlier than planned. Besides, this might be a great marketing opportunity for Disney+, especially now that people are advised to stay at home.
At this point, officials believe that the world will likely grapple with the coronavirus for a long time, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the Mouse House decides to take the first step in revolutionizing the film industry by releasing Black Widow on their streaming platform.
