Disney has confirmed that Marvel’s Black Widow will be getting a cinematic release, according to a report by Deadline.
The information was shared by Disney CEO Bob Chapek at a recent annual shareholders meeting. Marvel’s Black Widow was initially scheduled for release in May 2020, but was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. Now, the superhero flick is set to release this year, which appears to mark MCU’s grand return to the big screen [via IGN]:
“As we’ve said we believe it’s important to put the consumer in charge and let them decide how they want to enjoy our films particularly as we navigate through the pandemic,” said Chapek.
“We are really excited about the full slate of films we have in store. Next up is Black Widow, currently sent for release in theatres on May 7.”
The pandemic has affected the cinema industry in a big way. Many planned releases have either been postponed or given a digital debut. Last year, Disney Plus streamed the likes of Mulan to paying customers.
While Mulan came with an additional price tag attached, Disney also released Pixar’s Soul on the platform, which was included with the subscription cost. It seems like Disney is eager to get back to the big screen, despite Disney Plus’ success as a streaming platform.
Chapek did not mention Disney’s latest digital release, Raya and the Last Dragon, during the financial meeting.
Whether or not this was intentional remains to be seen, but it could be a sign that films premiering on Disney Plus are underperforming. Like Mulan, Raya also comes with a price tag on top of the subscription service cost, at least for a while.
Disney has previously stated that the MCU’s release schedule hasn’t been affected, but it seems like the company is now eager to get the next wave of films back into the cinema.
Black Widow is set to release in theatres on 7th May 2021. Let’s hope that theatres across the world can open in time for Marvel’s cinematic comeback. Are you looking forward to the release of Black Widow?
Featured Image Credit: Disney