The moment major film studios took
down the premiere dates for their many blockbusters from summer of last year,
it became clear that the year 2020 was given over to just trying to survive
from the COVID pandemic. True, some of those movies were slotted into release
schedules for 2021 – this year now – but others were left with no recourse but
to give their productions to streaming services. Warner Bros. hit on the idea
of simultaneously releasing their films on cinemas on HBO Max, which due to
many countries still keeping theaters closed, meant the movies were streaming
exclusives anyway. Disney has tried not to follow suit, but ultimately caved.
By that we mean that Disney is
giving their delayed film releases from 2020 a “simultaneous” theater and
streaming release on Disney+. Among these movies is the MCU film “Black Widow”
starring Scarlett Johansson. As told by The
Washington Post, the House of Mouse on Tuesday, March 23, bumped off
several scheduled film releases by a month or two including Marvel Studios’ “Black
Widow.” From its May 7 tentative date it is now on July 9, and will go streaming
on Disney+ for Premier access subscribers at the same time.
What this means is that, despite
how fast COVID vaccines are being administered to people around the world right
now, there is simply not enough immunity going around that opening cinemas by
midyear is feasible without another spike in new cases of infection. With the
reshuffle of “Black Widow” to July, the other MCU film supposed to premiere
then, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” is now due on September
instead, while “Eternals” so far has remained “safe” in a November premiere
slot.
Other Disney films this year are
now bidding theaters goodbye and will be on Disney+ instead. The “Cruella”
spinoff prequel of “101 Dalmatians” with Emma Stone in the title role is one,
as is a new Pixar animation, “Luca.” While US cinemas may brave the reopening
as early as May, the fact that other markets in Europe and Asia are still in
lockdown for such public viewing places means Disney and other studios are not
yet confident in good box-office returns. In fact, the media giant may be
considering re-prioritizing new content releases for Disney+ streaming, leaving
cinema owners, chains and audiences in the lurch. As long as the pandemic is
around, streaming becomes the more viable option for producers.
Image from The Verge
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