The Walt Disney Company still is planning on releasing Black Widow in theaters Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed during an earnings call on Thursday. There has been lots of speculation about the next movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving to Disney+ instead of getting the planned theatrical release.
During the call, Chapek confirmed that “We are still intending it to be a theatrical release.” What Chapek didn’t confirm was the release date. Currently the movie is scheduled to be released in May. However, that might not be what actually happens. “We’re going to be watching very carefully the reopening of theaters and consumer sentiment on going back to theaters,” Chapek added.
This comes after Disney has released a couple of movies that were originally intended for a theatrical release instead on Disney+. This includes Mulan, which was released on Disney+ with Premiere Access, and also Disney-Pixar’s Soul. Soul was released on Disney+ for all subscribers on Christmas Day. Next month Raya and the Last Dragon will be released theatrically and also on Disney+ with Premiere Access.
“Some films we will take theatrically. Some films we will take to Disney Premiere Access. And in some cases, we will take it directly to service [Disney Plus],” Chapek said. “It’s really about flexibility. We’re going to steer our decision making over time given [the needs] of our subscriber base.”
All this to say, Black Widow is still heading to theaters. Specifically when might still be up for debate.
What do you think about Black Widow continuing to get a theatrical release? Is that a good move by Disney? Should it be released instead on Disney+? What do you think? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
