'Black Widow' Release Date Pushed Back Including Six Disney Films - The New York Times

In another blow to cinemas, which have been desperate for Hollywood to release blockbuster films again, Walt Disney Studios on Tuesday pushed back the release dates of six movies, including “Black Widow,” a hotly anticipated Marvel prequel.

In addition, “Black Widow,” now scheduled for July 9 instead of May 7, and another major Disney movie, “Cruella” (May 28), will premiere on Disney+ at the same time they arrive in theaters, a move that will likely hurt cinemas (lower ticket and concession sales) while helping Disney (higher streaming revenue). Watching each film on Disney+ will cost $30 on top of the service’s $8-a-month subscriber fee.

Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said the decision “reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences.”

Disney pulled “Luca,” the next Pixar film, from theatrical release entirely, saying it would debut exclusively on Disney+ on June 18 for no charge beyond a standard subscription. Disney positioned that shuffle as providing its streaming customers with “a special offering to kick off the summer season.”

The other movies that were delayed include “Free Guy,” an action-comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a bank teller who finds himself inside a video game; “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” a Marvel extravaganza starring Simu Lieu alongside Awkwafina; and “Death on the Nile,” an all-star remake based on the Agatha Christie mystery.

Disney and other entertainment companies, including WarnerMedia, have shifted their business priorities during the pandemic. Protecting the theatrical marketplace has faded in importance, eclipsed by a race to build Netflix-style streaming services. Disney+ now has more than 100 million subscribers worldwide wondering what shiny, new content offerings are on the way. To the dismay of stars and their agents, WarnerMedia dramatically boosted the profile of its HBO Max streaming service in December by abruptly announcing that 17 movies — the entire 2021 Warner Bros. slate — would be available to subscribers at the same time cinema audiences had access.

Almost all cinemas in the United States are now able to operate with limited capacity. Box office records have recently been set in China, where life has been relatively normal for months.

But Europe, a crucial market for Hollywood megamovies, has been slower to recover. Will enough of the world box office be open by June 25, when “F9,” the next “Fast and Furious” movie, is supposed to arrive in theaters? What about “Top Gun: Maverick,” which is scheduled for July 2?

Disney’s announcement came on the same day that Regal, the No. 2 cinema chain in the United States behind AMC, announced that it would reopen starting April 2 after being closed for six months because of the pandemic. But the company that owns Regal, Cineworld Group, which is based in London, said that a reopening timeline for Europe was less clear.

Cineworld and AMC had no immediate comment on Disney’s announcement.

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'Black Widow' Release Date Pushed Back Including Six Disney Films - The New York Times
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