Black Widow: We’ll Know Its Fate Soon
One of my favorite “follows” on Twitter is Ashley Carter, a locally-based theme park journalist for Spectrum News 13 in Orlando who dabbles in #FilmTwitter.
And I was reading her feed the other day for thoughts on the Disney investor’s call when I noticed:
I just want to watch #BlackWidow and move on with my life is what I'm saying.
— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) February 11, 2021
Since #BlackWidow is being discussed again…I just put this back out there https://t.co/cr6gCyKL2s
— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) February 11, 2021
To which I would say: #Truth.
What Will Become of Black Widow?
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans have waited long enough to learn the fate of their beloved Natasha Romanoff; they want to know her state of mind going into Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame (never mind the Disney+ MCU shows).
And it sounds as if we have a month more to wait until we know — definitively — when to expect its actual release and in what format.
Variety (and other trade magazines) are all over this story, as it — and the fate of other blockbusters — certainly signals the fate of the movie industry itself.
We’ll Know Soon…
On February 12, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin explained:
Sources suggest Disney has three to four weeks before having to make a decision about “Black Widow” and Universal has slightly more time for “F9” because it’s not expected to debut until three weeks after the Marvel film. “Black Widow,” in particular, represents its own set of complications because of the interconnected nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which now spans both feature films meant for theatrical distribution, and limited and ongoing TV series created for Disney Plus. Bumping “Black Widow” means that “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (July 9) and “Eternals” (Nov. 5) would almost certainly be shuffled around as well. It could also throw Marvel’s carefully planned roll-out of its Disney Plus shows into disarray as well — after “The Falcon and the Winter Solider” in March, at least four other titles are set to premiere on the streamer this year.
Just one day earlier, Rubin had posted:
Disney CEO Bob Chapek debunked speculation that “Black Widow,” the upcoming Marvel superhero adventure starring Scarlett Johansson, may debut on the Disney Plus streaming service.
“Black Widow” is currently scheduled to open theatrically on May 7, which would make it the first blockbuster of 2021.
“We are still intending it to be a theatrical release,” Chapek said Thursday during Disney’s quarterly earnings call… However, Chapek declined to clarify if “Black Widow” will release in May as planned, or if it will be delayed until the box office is less impaired.
Either Way: Bet On Another Delay
To wit, another regular read of mine ScreenRant (via Chris Agar) synopsized the above and added, “Based on how Tenet performed at the box office last year, it doesn’t read as a logical business decision to release a blockbuster in the middle of a pandemic. Odds are, Black Widow will be delayed again.”
Again, I type: #Truth.