It appears that Marvel’s finally met its match. In the grips of the global coronavirus pandemic, Marvel makes the decision to delay the release of Black Widow.
Widow is the latest film for Disney being pushed back amid the coronavirus scare. Other notable Disney films set back are the live adaptation of Mulan, The New Mutants, and Antlers.
Disney isn’t the only studio having to push film release dates back. A Quiet Place II, F9, No Time to Die, all must shift release dates around due to most theaters around the globe closing their doors to prevent the spread of the disease.
AMC theaters recently announced a 6-12 week shutdown, depending on how the virus attacks the U.S. More national theater chains should follow suit soon. This move drastically affects when we will see some of these films.
Universal Studios took a different approach than most by announcing Monday that Trolls World Tour would release digitally rather than in studios on its previously scheduled theatrical release date.
Universal’s also releasing Emma, The Invisible Man, and The Hunt to digital early (some of which were still in theaters). Disney has the option to follow Universal, but according to a report on Deadline, the studio has plenty of money to weather the setback.
Many studios also shut down production on a number of films releasing next year. It’s expected to create some dead spots in the future theatrical release schedule. How big at the moment is really anyone’s guess.
The biggest question’s when will studio open back up, and how long will it take audiences to once again pack theater seats. The ripples from Covid-19 could take years to catch up from.
