A new rumor indicates that Disney is thinking about releasing Scarlett Johansson’s upcoming Black Widow film on Disney Plus.
The rumor comes from 4Chan, from an alleged employee whose company has contracted with Disney for Black Widow merchandise art.
They begin by detailing their credentials:
“I am here so I don’t lose my job for breach of NDA. With the constant updates for the Coronavirus and the future up in the air for movies/media I’m here to spill the tea. I just had my contract with Disney for the Black Widow merchandise art postponed indefinitely. I have worked on both movie posters and cover art for three ad promos, PLUS DisneyPlus.”
The alleged leaker continues:
“So we were originally told that the movie was still being released on May 1st, however nine days ago we were told to also redo everything for November 6th, 2020. TODAY, we were told that it will depend on how the FANS-WTF-react to the news of pushbacks and how The Rise of Skywalker performs being released early.”
The leaker then posits the idea that Disney might release Black Widow to streaming as a pay per view option possibly charging $40 to rent the movie for 24 hours.
“That’s right everyone, The Rise of Skywalker is a test for BLACK WIDOW being released on streaming, well on DisneyPlus. To add to this we were also commissioned, three days ago, before being put on hold ourselves, with commissioning a new poster for DisneyPlus for Black Widow. They wanted two versions, one with just the characters but the second with a price logo put in: $39.99 24 hours streaming. But before we could finish anything we were told to STOP everything. So now our company is waiting around for news on what to do.”
The leaker does claim that Disney and Marvel Studios are thinking about releasing the film on Disney Plus.
“Will this release in theaters or on DisneyPlus? Well I can 100% tell you that they are planning for BOTH at this time. The fact they had us do a mock up for DisneyPlus art screams this is what will be the go ahead. Believe me or not, but the studios/theaters/everyone needs a heads up on what Disney is about to do. Everything is hush hush now and for this exact reason.”
The leaker then details that two of the films’ stars do want the film to be released on Disney Plus. claiming it would make history.
“Now this is gossip, but we also heard that two of the stars of the film are wanting this released now and are wanting to be the first big budget movie ever to release this way to make history. Which does seem like a smart idea, for them, everyone would always remember Black Widow for this.”
They conclude noting that their poster art has already been leaked on Reddit.
“The DisneyPlus art is somewhere on the web Shhh(Reddit) but it’s been let out btw.”
Interestingly enough this rumor coincides with NBCUniversal announcing that they will make their theatrical releases available via video on demand including Trolls World Tour that is expected to release on April 10, 2020.
NBCUniversal films will be available to purchase for a 48-hour period for a suggested retail price of $19.99.
The Hollywood Reporter’s sources say that this “isn’t a blanket policy for the studio’s entire 2020 calendar and that decisions regarding other titles and the duration of the policy haven’t been made yet.”
Disney previously delayed their scheduled theatrical releases for March and April including Mulan, The New Mutants, and Antlers.
A message from Mulan Director, Niki Caro. pic.twitter.com/0L3VzAfaeB
— Mulan (@DisneysMulan) March 12, 2020
Black Widow is scheduled to be released on May 1, 2020. However, President Donald Trump indicated yesterday that the United States could still be dealing with the coronavirus pandemic into August.
President Trump says the coronavirus crisis could stretch into July or August. “We’ll see what happens.” pic.twitter.com/W4jJnSuJae
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) March 16, 2020
Regal Movies announced all of their theatre locations will be shut down beginning on March 17th. They did not provide a date on when they would open.
Regal announces closure of all theatre locations starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020, as a precaution amid the current circumstances. All theatres will remain closed until further notice. Please check back soon. We look forward to serving you again as soon as possible.
— Regal (@RegalMovies) March 16, 2020
It’s our goal to provide a safe and healthy environment for our employees and guests. We value your patronage and have no doubt we will be serving you again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters.
— Regal (@RegalMovies) March 16, 2020
AMC Theaters also announced they will be shutting down their U.S. locations for at least six to 12 weeks.
AMC CEO Adam Aron stated:
“We are ever so disappointed for our moviegoing guests and for our employee teams that the new CDC guidelines that Americans should not gather in groups larger than 10 people make it impossible to open our theaters.”
He added:
“Still, the health and well-being of AMC guests and employees, and of all Americans, takes precedence above all else.”
Alamo Drafthouse also announced they are shutting down. A press release on their website reads:
“We are deeply saddened to announce that all Alamo Drafthouse Cinema corporate-owned locations, and all but one* franchise-owned locations, are now closed until further notice. All shows have been canceled, and all tickets will be refunded.”
They did not provide any details on when they might reopen.
Whether or not this rumor about Black Widow is true, it looks like the film will more than likely be delayed given most major theater chains are shutting down.
What do you make of this rumor? Do you think Disney might release Black Widow via on-demand like NBCUniversal is going to do with their upcoming theatrical releases?