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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a strange place now, as we're currently occupying the interim period between phases. The wait for Phase Four is going to be a bit longer than anticipated, as Black Widow has been pushed back to November after theaters closed. Disney recently pulled Artemis Fowl from theaters and instead decided on bringing the upcoming blockbuster to streaming with Disney+. This led some fans to wonder if Black Widow could meet the same fate, although comic book aficionado and director Kevin Smith recently got blunt about that possibility. Or in his opinion, the lack of that possibility.
Kevin Smith is a huge fan of comic books and their film adaptations, and regularly comments on the constant changes within the genre. Theaters closing resulted in a ton of projects being pushed back, leading cinephiles to wonder if projects like The New Mutants or Black Widow could end up being release via streaming. Smith recently got real about those Black Widow rumors, saying:
I think [releasing Artemis Fowl on Disney+] is a smart play. I don't think you'll ever see that happen with a Marvel movie. I don't think they're gonna play their big money cards. Think of it as somebody sitting there playing Uno. They just laid down a skip card to buy themselves some time. Artemis Fowl, they're like, 'Skip. You can watch that on Disney+. They're not gonna stick a Marvel movie on Disney+ because they've got some Marvel TV shows coming, and they gotta keep them Marvel movies valuable. Because those movies make fucking money, man, legit fucking money.
Well, that was honest. It looks like Kevin Smith doesn't think Black Widow will never arrive on Disney+ over a full theatrical release. Namely, because Marvel blockbusters consistently clean up at the box office. He also dropped in a few f-bombs to really hammer the point home.
Marvel fans can re-watch Black Widow's tenure in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
Kevin Smith's comments about Black Widow come from his FatMan Beyond podcast. Smith has had a long career in the film world, so he knows the inner workings of the business. In the end blockbusters are about making money, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's box office power can't be understated. So moving Phase Four's opener and Scarlett Johansson's swan song as Black Widow seems unlikely.
Marvel's commitment to bringing Black Widow to theaters can be seen with its new release date. Rather than bringing Cate Shortland's highly anticipated movie to Disney+, the studio gave it The Eternals' original release date, and bumped that cosmic story in the process. There's a ton of interest in the long awaited solo flick, with audiences very invested in Scarlett Johansson's character. As such, they're likely to shell out money to see Black Widow in theaters.
Black Widow is currently set to arrive in theaters on November 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
