Disney reportedly isn't interested in skipping theaters and taking Black Widow straight to the Disney Plus streaming service.
Of course, this wouldn't be a story any other year, but in the face of reemerging lockdowns and a second wave of coronavirus cases, lots of studios are releasing movies on streaming services instead of in theaters. In an unprecedented move by WarnerMedia, Wonder Woman 1984 will release on HBO Max on the same day as its theatrical premiere.
According to Deadline, Black Widow currently "is not being contemplated for a streaming bow." This is despite the fact that Disney is reportedly considering moving tentpole releases including Cruella, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan and Wendy from their theatrical premieres over to Disney Plus. The company made a similar decision with Mulan, which premiered on Disney Plus instead of theaters as originally planned. Disney was reportedly pleased with Mulan's success on the streaming platform, which doesn't help the case for movie theater-exclusive premieres.
Black Widow is the long-awaited standalone film centered around former spy and Avengers alum Natasha Romanoff. Our pals at Total Film caught up with Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena Belova, and she didn't mince words when discussing some of the heavy themes the Black Widow movie deals in. "This film is about the abuse of women. It's about how they get involuntary hysterectomies by the age of eight. It's about girls who are stolen from around the world. It's so painful, and it's so important," said Pugh, before noting that this is still a superhero movie that sees its heroes rise up.
"The best thing about that is, it's not layered with this colour of grey. You'll see these women strive and be strong, and they're assassins – and yet they still need to discuss how they were abused. It's an incredibly powerful piece."
Black Widow is set to release on May 7, 2021.
