Disney CEO Says Final Decision On Black Widow’s Release Likely To Be ‘Last-Minute’

Black Widow is currently set for a May 7th release, and whether that holds will likely be a last minute decision per Disney’s CEO. Bob Chapek spoke with Bloomberg Television discussing the limited reopening of Disneyland next month. When asked if the release date for the MCU film would be changing he demurred, saying that Disney will have to be flexible in when and in what format (theatrical, Disney+ Premiere) they decide to bow the film.

“Our situation and our conditions change,” Chapek said. “Just a few weeks ago, theaters in New York and Los Angeles weren’t even open. Now, all of a sudden they’re open, so we’re waiting to see how prospective theatergoers respond to these reopenings. We’re going to remain flexible. We’ll make the call probably at the last minute in terms of how these films come to market, whether it’s Black Widow or any other title.”

Disney has been willing to release big-name films on Disney+ under the “Premiere Access” banner which makes the films available for a premium price. Chapek made sure to point out that they will not be abandoning theaters, though.

“We love the theatrical window,” he said. “We think it’s important for building our franchises. At the same time, we don’t think it’s the only way to do it … We’ll see what happens over the next couple of months. So much is changing, it’s such a dynamic environment. It’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen with consumer behavior in the next month as it comes to re-emergence back into the world of normal. We’ll be watching the call carefully and make the call when we have to.”

Black Widow was originally set to bow in May of last year but has been delayed several times due to the pandemic, like most films. It is written by Jac Schaeffer (WandaVision) and directed by Cate Shortland. It stars Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and O-T Fagbenle.