Black Widow release date delayed due to coronavirus pandemic

Black Widow trailer
(Image credit: Marvel)

The Black Widow movie has been delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The first Marvel Phase 4 movie was due to release on May 1. No new release date has been set. Disney has also delayed The Personal History of David Copperfield and The Woman in the Window indefinitely. 

For now, it appears that Black Widow has been delayed indefinitely (via Variety), with The Eternals still scheduled to hit its November release date. Expect that to change in the coming months, however, as Disney makes room for Black Widow somewhere in the release schedule.

Black Widow joins several movies that have had their release dates shifted in recent days. Fast and Furious 9 has been pushed back an entire year to April 2, 2021, while A Quiet Place Part 2, New Mutants, Mulan, and Antlers have all had their releases postponed indefinitely. No Time to Die, the 25th Bond movie and Daniel Craig's last as 007, was also pushed back to November. It's an unprecedented moment for the industry, and Black Widow's presence as the last remaining big box office release should cause some consternation.

What that means for the rest of the MCU's tightly-run ship is also open for debate. Kevin Feige and the team at Marvel Studios pride themselves on meticulous planning, often zeroing in on release dates years in advance to help set up the ever-expanding world of Marvel's heroes. Black Widow's delay could force the likes of Shang-Chi and Doctor Strange sequel The Multiverse of Madness to retreat further into 2021, though nothing has been officially announced in that regard.

Keep track of the ever-changing cinema schedules with our movie release dates calendar.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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