Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of last year, few films have seen a theatrical release as theaters were shut down for over a year. Those that did manage to make their way to theaters saw modest success with Christopher Nolan’s 2020 film Tenet only earning about $20 million in U.S. box offices, a far cry from the typical success of major motion films. As we have begun to work our way out of the pandemic these past few months however, theaters have begun to reopen and moviegoers could not be more enthralled. This past weekend’s big release proves that: the new Black Widow film managed to amass $80 million in the United States this weekend, and that’s not all.
Despite the Avengers franchise coming to an end in 2019 with the release of Avengers: Endgame, Disney and Marvel have kept the universe alive with a multitude of projects. Though the pandemic inhibited them from releasing films, the inception of their new in-house streaming platform Disney+ has seen the release of countless new series that have captivated fans stuck at home. Now they are back to regularly scheduled programming however, and up first on the schedule was the release of Black Widow this weekend. Scarlett Johansson delivered a fantastic performance in the film as the titular superhero, and the receipts will more than back that up: $80 million in U.S. box offices alone, then another $78 million in international box offices to couple. Disney even claims to have earned over $60 million through their Disney+ Premiere Access offering that allowed Disney+ subscribers to see the film from the comfort of their home.
It is wholly obvious that not only is Hollywood back to work, but that moviegoers are back in theaters as well. This past year has cost the film industry unfathomable amounts of money, however that is likely the last thing on anyone’s mind now that a sense of normalcy has been restored. This also highlights a change in the supply-chain of the distribution of films with Disney still electing to release Black Widow on Disney+, easing us into a new era of consumption. Only time will tell; until then, Black Widow is currently in theaters and is available on Disney+ through Disney+ Premiere Access.
