a year due to the pandemic. Like a handful
of Disney releases over the past year, it’ll be
available Friday in theaters globally and to rent
on Disney+ for $30.
The film isn’t just a tribute and a goodbye to a
beloved character, though. It also kicks off “Phase
Four” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after an
unplanned two-year gap in Marvel theatrical
releases following “Avengers: Endgame” (and,
technically, “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”)
The stakes for big budget Marvel movies
are always high, but “Black Widow” will also
be a litmus test not just because of the
unconventional release strategy, but also as a
gauge for audience interest in the cinematic
juggernaut going forward.
After the 23-film build to “Endgame,” which
currently holds the title of second-highest
grossing film of all time after a re-release of
“Avatar” during the pandemic, Marvel is going
into unchartered territory with new characters
in films like “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the
Ten Rings,” set for September, and “Eternals” in
November. But Marvel Studios president Kevin
Feige isn’t stressing much about that. This
new phase, he said, is one of “new beginnings”
moving forward.
“Within our movies, there’s this big shared
experience that all the characters had with this,
what we call the blip. Now, in real life, we all, as
human beings on earth, have had the shared
experience of this pandemic, of this lockdown.
So there is an interesting parallel that we’re that
we were playing on in our stories,” he said. “It’s
been two years since we’ve had a film in theaters
and we are ready. I hope the fans are ready.”