Kevin Feige retains hope that Black Widow will release into theaters as scheduled in May, but he also admitted that confidence is meaningless when it comes to the current state of the industry. After all, No Time to Die and Morbius were two of the first major blockbusters to blink and stake out new dates, with countless more following suit over the last couple of days as the first half of 2021 empties out.
If Marvel Studios were to delay Black Widow once again, then that could lead to a second reshuffle for the entirety of Phase Four’s feature film slate, something that the world’s biggest franchise would surely rather avoid. And while it still remains to be seen what’ll happen, insider Daniel Richtman is now claiming that a Disney Plus release for Natasha Romanoff’s swansong is very much back on the table, as everyone else looks to pack up and flee to a more certain spot on the calendar.
Of course, we’ve been hearing that Black Widow was poised to head straight for streaming since last summer, and Richtman himself said the exact same thing back in November, but Marvel have stuck to their guns so far. Not only that, but Mulan remains the only major Mouse House title to get a Premier Access release, with Pixar’s Soul arriving on Christmas Day at no extra cost to subscribers, while the animated Raya and the Last Dragon will hit the big screen and Premier Access simultaneously next month.
So far, Disney haven’t made any wholesale changes to their theatrical plans, but subsidiaries 20th Century Studios and Searchlight did shuffle seven upcoming titles, so it can’t be ruled out that Marvel could end up doing the same. However, Feige will no doubt hold out for as long as he possibly can before committing to a final decision on when and where we’ll see Black Widow.
