Disney delays Black Widow, one of its biggest 2020 movies
Walt Disney delayed the release of the Marvel movie Black Widow and two other May films as it copes with the shutdown of US theatres, making an already tough year for Hollywood’s biggest studio even more challenging.
Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson in the title role, had been slated for May 1. The Personal History Of David Copperfield, due May 8, and The Woman In The Window, scheduled for May 15, also will be pushed back to some undetermined date.
The delays bring further upheaval to an industry that’s rethinking how it does business during the coronavirus outbreak. NBCUniversal sent shock waves through Hollywood on Monday by deciding to abandon the exclusive “theatrical window” and put some of its movies online the day they were scheduled to be released in cinemas. While there’s no sign that delayed tentpole films, such as Black Widow, No Time to Die or F9, will follow the same route, theatre owners are wary of being cut out.
Before the pandemic, cinema chains were already pressured by the popularity of streaming services, including Netflix. With most theatres in the US now closed, audiences may become even more used to seeing major new films from their sofas.
The National Association of Theatre Owners sent out a statement on Tuesday insisting this won’t happen, and that the industry will rebound once delayed blockbusters become available on the big screen later this year.
“To avoid catastrophic losses to the studios, these titles must have the fullest possible theatrical release,” the group said. “While one or two releases may forgo theatrical release, it is our understanding from discussions with distributors that the vast majority of deferred releases will be rescheduled for theatrical release as life returns to normal.”
Black Widow was expected to bring in US$265 million (8.5 billion) in domestic sales, according to a March 1 forecast by Exhibitor Relations Co. The forecaster predicted $311 million in domestic revenue for Soul, the Disney-Pixar film scheduled for June. About half that revenue typically goes to the theatres that show the film.
Disney was already going to have a tough time matching its 2019 box-office success, when the studio’s hits included Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing movie in history.
This year, there are no ensemble Avengers films or any Star Wars movies to draw fans. An Avatar sequel, originally slated for 2020, was pushed back until next year.