It’s been more than 1.5 years since we last saw an MCU film in the theatres. The only ray of hope was Marvel’s Black Widow, which was expected to make its way to the theatres by May 7th. But, it looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow one last time. This is because reports are coming in that Black Widow has been delayed, again.
The reason for this delay, according to Variety, are not because of production delays or anything. Instead, they have more to do with the United States’ continued struggle against the Coronavirus pandemic. Despite the vaccine, it looks unlikely that people will be filling up theatres any time soon. If by Spring things don’t improve, Marvel will likely delay Black Widow’s release further. And if that happens, there’s a chance that Black Widow could get a Disney+ release instead of a theatrical release. This is because Marvel cannot keep delaying the release and now many fans are calling for a release on the streaming service. Furthermore, they would have looked at the reception Wonder Woman 1984 got at HBO Max as well. That can be an important benchmark for Marvel to follow.
Black Widow facing another delay in release, but could get a Disney+ release
Marvel’s top brass is looking closely at the situation as it evolves. Marvel President Kevin Feige told Comicbook.com about any prospective release of Black Widow on Disney+, saying:
I mean, confidence is meaningless in today’s world because nobody knows anything. Hope springs eternal. A year delay, you hope would be enough, there’s a vaccine out there now. We’ll see. I certainly hope so. I want to be back in the theater with people.
Marvel has a mouthwatering lineup ready for fans in 2021. WandaVision has already started streaming on Disney+. If it all goes on schedule, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will premiere on Disney+ on March 19th, Loki on Disney+ in May, What If… on Disney+ this summer, and Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye coming to Disney+ later in the year. As far as theatrical releases are concerned, Black Widow is set for release in theatres on May 7th, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on July 9th, Eternals in theatres on November 5th, and Spider-Man 3 on December 17th.
