After multiple release date delays,Black Widowwill now be released on Disney+ this summer with a day-and-date theatrical and Disney+ Premier Access strategy. Now, the first MCU feature release of 2021 will be released on July 9 — a gentle push back from the May 7 release day it has been holding on to for the last few months. This is a significant move for Marvel Studios, who have been firm on a theatrical-only release forBlack Widoweven as it pushed the release of this first Phase 4 movie back further and further over the course of 202o.
Black Widow’s Premier Access release is expected to be just like previous Premier Access releasesRaya and the Last DragonandMulan. Viewers keen to check out the new MCU movie will be able to pay $29.99 (on top of the Disney+ subscription fee that’s already being shelled out) forBlack WidowPremier Access ahead of the movie’s Friday, July 9 release. Then, when the movie finally hits Disney+, they’ll be able to watch it on the app. At this time, it’s unclear if or whenBlack Widowwill move from Premier Access-only to living as a free title in the Disney+ library.
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“Today’s announcement reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences,” notesKareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution, in an official statement. “By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic marketplace that is beginning to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled storytelling to fans and families around the world.”
Originally,Black Widowwas scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 24, 2025, thus kicking off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe following 2019’sAvengers: Endgame.Black Widow’s release date was delayed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. By September 2020, we learned Marvel had re-worked its Phase 4 feature film schedule, pushingBlack Widow’s release date to May 7.
Black WidowstarsScarlett Johansson,Florence Pugh,Rachel Weisz,David Harbour, andO-T Fagbenle. The first MCU Phase 4 feature is directed byCate Shortland(Lore,Somersault), with story byJac Schaeffer(WandaVision) andNedBenson(The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby),and screenplay written byEric Pearson(Thor: Ragnarok,Agent Carter).Black Widowwill kick off the feature film portion of the MCU Phase 4 slate, withShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsandEternalsexpected later in 2021.
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