Marvel's Black Widow is maintaining its May theatrical release date, though Disney CEO Bob Chapek revealed those plans are subject to change.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed that Black Widow will remain a theatrical release, though that may change depending on the condition of theaters during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19).
Chapek spoke during Disney's Q1 fiscal first quarter 2021 financial call after the question was raised on the status of Black Widow's May release. The CEO said the plan is for Black Widow to maintain its theatrical release, but added Disney will be "watching very carefully" to monitor if plans need to be adjusted.
Theater sources reported in January that Black Widow was unlikely to skip theaters for a Disney+ Premier Access debut, or for a simultaneous release on Disney+ and theaters, similar to Raya and the Last Dragon.
Black Widow's first solo outing was scheduled to hit theaters in May 2020. However, that date and many other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe were pushed back as theaters remained closed due to COVID-19. After being pushed to November 2020, Marvel Studios delayed Black Widow a second time to May 7. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has gone on the record as being hopeful Black Widow gets a traditional theatrical release.
In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff. The film arrives in theaters May 7.