Release date of Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow postponed; will simultaneously hit theatres, stream on Disney+ from 9 July

The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday overhauled its upcoming film release plans, postponing some of its biggest films and shifting Marvel’s Black Widow, among other titles, to Disney+ the same time they arrive in theatres. Black Widow, once planned to debut in May 2020, had been set to kick off the summer movie season on 7 May. It will instead premiere on 9 July. And it will do so simultaneously on the company’s streaming platform for a $30 early-access fee. For theatres, which are beginning to reopen after punishing months of closure due to the pandemic, the announcement was a blow to hopes of an imminent recovery. While bigger and bigger films have turned to streaming and premium-on-demand in recent months, Marvel movies are Hollywood’s most bankable box-office behemoths. Disney will instead launch its summer with Cruella on its previously scheduled date, 28 May. The 101 Dalmatians spinoff with Emma Stone will also premiere in both theatres and on Disney+ for $30 — the same hybrid approach the studio took with the recent release of Raya and the Last Dragon. “Today’s announcement reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences,” said Kareem Daniel, Disney’s distribution chief. “By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic marketplace that is beginning to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled storytelling to fans and families around the world.” The Pixar film Luca will bypass theatres entirely. On 18 June, it will debut exclusively on Disney+. In December when announcing an ambitious array of streaming programming, the company suggested that Disney+ would regularly be home to Pixar, among other brands. Over the next few years, Disney is planning to premiere directly on Disney+, not just an armada of Star Wars and Marvel series but 15 live-action, Pixar and animated series, and 15 live-action, Pixar and animated movies. The studio also postponed the releases of Free Guy (From 21 May to 13 August); Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (from 9 July to 3 August); Deep Water (from 13 August to January 2022); The King’s Man (from 20 August to 22 December); and Death on the Nile (from 17 September to February 2022). About half of North American theatres are currently open but many more are set to in the coming weeks. New York and Los Angeles, the two largest markets, recently allowed theatres to open at reduced capacities. On Tuesday, Cineworld Group, owner of the second-largest chain in the country, Regal Cinemas, said its theatres would reopen in early April. Some studios have begun to move up, not postpone, their biggest films. Paramount Pictures moved A Quiet Place Part II from September to 28 May. Warner Bros. earlier set a release plan for 2021 that, like Disney will with Black Widow, gives viewers the choice of paying for a movie at home or on the big screen. Warner’s entire 2021 slate is debuting simultaneously on its streaming platform, HBO Max, and in theatres.