18 Mar - There is still no certainty as to whether or not "Black Widow" will get an exclusive theatre run, as recently admitted by Disney's CEO Bob Chapek. Chapek, who spoke to Bloomberg Television recently, was unable to assure cinema owners that the studio will stick to the previously announced release date - seeing that the pandemic has yet to fully subside.
Said Chapek, "Our situation and our conditions change. Just a few weeks ago, theatres in New York and Los Angeles weren't even open. Now, all of a sudden they're open, so we're waiting to see how prospective theatregoers respond to these re-openings." "We're going to remain flexible. We'll make the call probably at the last minute in terms of how these films come to market, whether it's Black Widow or any other title," he added.
It is noted that the Scarlett Johanssen-starrer has delayed its release date multiple times due to the COVID-19 situation, with the latest scheduled on 7 May. However, Disney also had not indicated how it plans to release it - whether the movie will be released in cinemas exclusively or if it could follow the likes of "Mulan" and "Raya and the Last Dragon" and be a Premier Access title in Disney+. "We love the theatrical window," Chapek continued, "We think it's important for building our franchises. At the same time, we don't think it's the only way to do it. We'll see what happens over the next couple of months."