Well, Disney and Marvel tried their best to hold onto hope for the sake of their long-gestating Black Widow stand-alone film. But there really isn’t much anyone can do in the throes of a pandemic, especially when movie theaters around the world are closing indefinitely and the CDC is strongly advising against gatherings of more than 50 people. So it’s official, per Variety: Black Widow’s premiere is delayed until further notice.
The Scarlett Johanssen starrer was scheduled to arrive to theaters May 1. Now, it goes the way of Mulan, the perennially cursed New Mutants, and Antlers, which were all delayed last week. The studio has also pulled releases from its other banners, including 20 Century’s The Woman In The Window and Searchlight’s The Personal History of David Copperfield. There is no official word as to whether Disney will follow Universal’s lead and nullify the theater window by releasing its titles to VOD, however any attempt to earn back some of its more substantial budgets—like that of Black Widow, which reportedly cost $150 to $200 million to make—renders that possibility unlikely. Disney has not provided a statement or any contingency plans for Black Widow at this time.