Last month, the news broke that we were all expecting but still dreading – Black Widow is delayed again to next May, meaning it’s been pushed back an entire year since it was originally meant to hit theaters. At this point, countless Marvel fans just want the film to be released via streaming, something that’s seemed more and more plausible as the Mouse House has become more open to dropping major productions on Disney Plus.
Mulan broke the mold back in September, with Pixar’s Soul following this December. Not only that, but a few days ago, we learned that the whole company is being restructured to put a greater focus on its digital output, and yet Black Widow remains resolutely set on a traditional release path. According to a couple of new reports, though, we may now know the reason why.
Giant Freakin Robot claims that the one person standing in the way of the MCU flick hitting D+ is Kevin Feige. The outlet writes that if it were up to Disney, Black Widow would be headed for streaming, but Feige is intent on keeping the Scarlett Johansson vehicle in cinemas as was always intended. This intel is backed up by Geekosity as well, with insider Mikey Sutton saying that his own sources have told him the same thing. The tipster notes that Feige is a big proponent of the classic cinematic experience and against moving films away from the big screen in general.
Of course, there’s much trepidation within the industry over how theaters will perform next year once the ball gets rolling again after a long time without any big new releases. A few movies should arrive before Black Widow hits, though, so audiences may be getting back into the swing of things by then and it could earn something approaching a typical MCU theatrical haul. Or maybe it won’t.
In any case, by the sounds of it, Disney are up for skipping this risky strategy and going straight to D+, but Feige is the one standing in the way.
