Disney likely to postpone Black Widow release for second time

Disney will likely postpone the release of Avengers spin-off Black Widow for the second time in another sign audiences are not yet comfortable sitting in movie theaters in the age of COVID-19.

The original May release for the MCU flick was previously moved to October/November, and ‘multiple individuals with knowledge of the situation’ told Variety it will be delayed again.

Several studios are avoiding releasing their big-budget tentpole pictures with delays happening for movies like Wonder Woman 1984, Greenland, Candyman, and Top Gun: Maverick.

Ominous sign: Disney will likely postpone the release of Avengers spin-off Black Widow for the second time in another sign audiences are not yet comfortable sitting in movie theaters in the age of COVID-19

Around 70% of US cinemas have reopened, but movie theaters in big cities Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco remain closed.

As of Tuesday, there have reportedly been 29.4M confirmed coronavirus cases globally (6.59M in the States), leading to 931K deaths. 

The report comes weeks after the two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson – who plays Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow – revealed the plot about the former KGB assassin will reflect the #MeToo movement.

‘I think this film in particular is very much reflective of what’s going on in regards to the Time’s Up movement and the #MeToo movement,’ the 35-year-old native New Yorker told Empire earlier this month.

‘It would be such a miss if we didn’t address that stuff’: The report comes weeks after the two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson – who plays Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow – revealed the plot about the former KGB assassin will reflect the #MeToo movement

Sisters: Cate Shortland’s feminist action flick – set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016) – also features Robert Downey Jr., Rachel Weisz, William Hurt, David Harbour, Ray Winstone, and Florence Pugh (L)

‘It would be such a miss if we didn’t address that stuff, if this film didn’t take that head-on. I think, particularly for Cate [Shortland], it was so important for her to make a movie about women who are helping other women, who lift other women up out of a very difficulty situation. 

‘Someone asked me if Natasha was a feminist. Of course she is, it’s obvious. It’s kinda an asinine question.’

Cate Shortland’s feminist action flick – set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016) – also features Robert Downey Jr., Rachel Weisz, William Hurt, David Harbour, Ray Winstone, and Florence Pugh.