In an interview with Bloomberg, Disney CEO Bob Chapek discussed Disney’s park reopening plan, the state of the world, and the release date for Black Widow. In it Chapek said that the release of Black Widow, whether it be in theaters or on Disney+ will “probably [be] at the last minute.”
The CEO is not hiding any cards here, and is making it clear that the decision will be decided when the time comes. If the last year has taught anyone anything, it is that viruses are incredibly difficult to predict. Black Widow was originally scheduled for a May 2020 release, but due to the pandemic received a plethora of delays, eventually landing in May of 2021. It is more hopeful that it will be released at this date.
Black Widow is the first female led MCU film and in being that, Disney has felt it would be important to see the film on the big screen with a packed house. Though it is incredibly difficult to know when that will be possible in the United States as well as much of the world.
If it is going to be released on Disney+, it will most likely be under a $30 paywall that Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon was under. Though the most popular of the latest Disney releases, Soul, was not under that paywall. However, with the MCU being as large as it is, it would not be a surprise to see the extra charge added to the release of Black Widow, if it is in fact released on Disney +.
With everything in the last year, we’ll have to wait and see. Black Widow is set for a May 7,2021 release date and stars Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, Ray Winstone, and Rachel Weisz.