BLACK WIDOW: THE MOVIE (TBD) 4 4

[sagekilz]

14 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

Disney really needs to tear the band-aid off and just push this to streaming.

Agreed.  Market the bleep out of it for a month then deliver it to Disney+.

[Bosco685]

Just now, sagekilz said:

Agreed.  Market the bleep out of it for a month then deliver it to Disney+.

This could be the massive female lead film Disney assumed Mulan was going to be before some errors in brand messaging led to international hiccups in its largest non-USA market.

Huge subscription grabs could come from this.

[sagekilz]

17 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

This could be the massive female lead film Disney assumed Mulan was going to be before some errors in brand messaging led to international hiccups in its largest non-USA market.

Huge subscription grabs could come from this.

I saw The Little Things in a theater last week in Kenosha, WI and they played a Black Widow trailer.  It played well on the big screen but still left me with that 'ehhh' feeling, almost like a throw-away movie that isn't expected to do big things but seemingly obliges contractual obligations.

Can't see people clamoring for a BW movie synopsis.

[media_junkie]

2 hours ago, sagekilz said:

It played well on the big screen but still left me with that 'ehhh' feeling, almost like a throw-away movie that isn't expected to do big things but seemingly obliges contractual obligations.

I still say Disney was 5 (or so) years to late in getting a Black Widow movie made.

[chezmtghut]

Disney would have been better off turning this into a streaming series instead. How can they expect to make money in the current market without streaming? BW would need to make 500 million in China to bring in 125 for Disney but I'd say more likely 50 - 100 max & 200 - 400 worldwide. It will definitely hold the film back from the majority of their subscribers for months though, while likely barely bringing in enough to make theater viewing worth while. They should really reconsider their approach, because losing memberships over these issues could cost them more than they'd make in theaters now anyways. I think WB is taking the right approach by giving their audience the option to view it at home or in the theater. Pushing your audience to theaters for a Superhero movies to make money in a pandemic doesn't seem very heroic, especially since they have a safe alternative to offer.

[media_junkie]

1 minute ago, chezmtghut said:

Pushing your audience to theaters for a Superhero movies to make money in a pandemic doesn't seem very heroic, especially since they have a safe alternative to offer.

[sagekilz]

1 hour ago, media_junkie said:

I still say Disney was 5 (or so) years to late in getting a Black Widow movie made.

'Strike while the iron is hot' I think is the operative term.  A storyline in between AOU or IW, or even a standalone film that would've been apart of Phase One, should've been the direction.  The character is long in teeth and interest is waning to say the least.  

But alas, Marvel headed out to the 'ol Avengers movie tree, needing to shake another $600 million box office from it.

Edited February 25, 2021 by sagekilz

[theCapraAegagrus]

I don't think that anyone would have cared for a Black Widow movie in Phase 1. I also don't think that enough people will care about her solo movie after the character's death. They missed the Goldilocks Zone.

What would they have swapped it with, though? She was a major player in The Winter Soldier in 2014, and then an Avenger in 2015, and then 2016's Civil War. Could 2017 have been the sweet spot? GotG Vol. 2 was trash, but that group is far more popular than BW. Neither Romanoff nor Barton are all that interesting characters by themselves.

[media_junkie]

I think they should have done something with her after Winter Soldier.  I personally think that would have been the best time for her solo movie.  As you mentioned she got huge screen time in Winter Soldier, and the way the movie ended with her releasing all of SHIELDS dirty laundry (including hers as Alexander Pierce said), would have been a great set up for a solo movie.  She could have even pulled in Hawkeye to help her "clean up her past", which could have also touched on their bond, which was always eluded to in the movies, but never really explored.

[Bosco685]

10 minutes ago, media_junkie said:

I think they should have done something with her after Winter Soldier.  

I still think that was the perfect timing. That movie set her up at being at the top of her spy game, working with an ulterior motive. So carrying her story on right afterwards would have been fitting.

[Bosco685]

$$ over safety

[Bosco685]

Quote

Black Widow is still releasing in theaters on May 7th. That's according to Bob Chapek, The Walt Disney Company's CEO, speaking during Tuesday's shareholder call. There was some speculation that the company might postpone Black Widow's release until later in the summer, spurred on by F9: The Fast Saga suffering a similar delay and reports that the United States will have enough vaccine for all citizens by the end of May. But Chapek told shareholders the next Marvel Studios film is still on track to release on its current scheduled date, which is already a full year after its original intended release date.

 

Based on previous comments, Marvel fans aren't the only ones eager to see Black Widow. David Harbour plays the Red Guardian in the film. During an Instagram Live video, Harbour expressed how eager he is to see the film release, in theaters or via Disney+.

 

"I'm very much looking forward to being in Black Widow if we ever are able to release that movie," said Harbour. "I would love to be able to watch that movie too – y'know I have not seen that movie. I have seen some stuff in ADR and it looks really good. And also I was there when we were shooting it and I'm really excited about it. But I would like to see it myself. Hell, I would watch it on Disney+."

 

[D84]

I'll wait for the 4k blu-ray.

[rexinnih]

I looked forward to the Opening Night Fan event for previous Marvel movies and enjoyed the hype and experience of seeing with like minded fans. If May, this will be the first MCU movie I miss seeing in the theaters, assuming I haven't had my Covid vaccine by then. Just popped $30 for Raya and the Last Dragon for a family movie night last weekend and would do the same for Black Widow. 

[▫️]

45 minutes ago, rexinnih said:

I looked forward to the Opening Night Fan event for previous Marvel movies and enjoyed the hype and experience of seeing with like minded fans. If May, this will be the first MCU movie I miss seeing in the theaters, assuming I haven't had my Covid vaccine by then. Just popped $30 for Raya and the Last Dragon for a family movie night last weekend and would do the same for Black Widow. 

$30 to view it on Disney+ as well as continuing to pay subscription fees in order to have it in your library or $20 to buy and own the film on Blu-ray or even iTunes/Amazon. Its not about the money but the principle that Disney+ should give these exclusives to their subscribers at no additional cost outside of the subscription fee. Like HBOMAX and Netflix and AmazonAppleHulu.. well I guess all of them. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

15 hours ago, D84 said:

I'll wait for the 4k blu-ray.

I'll wait to watch it for free (at my brother's expense) on Disney+.

[Bosco685]

Quote

Movie theaters in Los Angeles are primed to reopen in the coming days, a milestone that could carry outsized significance in efforts to revive the beleaguered theatrical film business.

 

As cinemas across the U.S. have begun resuming business amid the pandemic, box office ticket sales have remained frustratingly low. That’s partially because with shuttered venues in Los Angeles and New York City, studios haven’t been releasing many major movies.

 

But that could change now that moviegoers can return to multiplexes in two of the most popular movie markets. The official word for L.A. theaters could come as early as Thursday, though it’s unclear when cinemas will actually be able to resume operations. For the time being, Hollywood’s attention has hinged on Disney and Marvel’s superhero adventure “Black Widow,” which is due in theaters on May 7. Despite several Disney movies debuting simultaneously on the Disney Plus streaming service, the company’s CEO Bob Chapek has reaffirmed numerous times that “Black Widow” is “currently” set to open theatrically in early May.

 

Does the reopening of Los Angeles theaters help solidify those plans? Media analysts suggest that’s possible.

 

“There’s definitely momentum building. All of the signs are pointing to ‘Black Widow’ staying,” says Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Box Office Pro. But then again, he’s quick to point out, the pandemic has been guilty of upending even the best laid plans. “It’s wise for everyone to keep an open mind,” he adds.

 

It’s fair to be extra cautious, particularly because Marvel movies like “Black Widow” carry gargantuan production budgets — not to mention the many millions more spent to market and promote the film to worldwide audiences. Then, it becomes almost impossible for the studio to make money back if the film plays to nearly empty auditoriums.

 

“There are certain types of films that work in this release paradigm,” says box office analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations. He’s referring to films with smaller price tags, such as Paramount’s “A Quiet Place Part II” and Universal’s crime thriller “Nobody.” “It’s hard to justify it with $100-million [budgeted] films.”

 

[Callaway29]

On 3/10/2021 at 12:22 AM, rexinnih said:

I looked forward to the Opening Night Fan event for previous Marvel movies and enjoyed the hype and experience of seeing with like minded fans. If May, this will be the first MCU movie I miss seeing in the theaters, assuming I haven't had my Covid vaccine by then. Just popped $30 for Raya and the Last Dragon for a family movie night last weekend and would do the same for Black Widow. 

How was Raya? It's so tempting...but I think my annual disney+ subscription is only $60, so paying $30 for one movie seems exorbitant (regardless of how much it would cost in the theaters).

[Bosco685]

Quote

This isn't a description of WandaVision, though, but the studio's release strategy for Black Widow, which has already been significantly delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fate of which will, apparently, be a "last-minute decision" depending on how the theatrical landscape looks in May, when the movie is currently scheduled to finally make its way to the big screen, according to Disney CEO Bob Chapek.

 

The movie is going to be in theaters, at least as far as we know. The question, really, is whether it will be "only in theaters" or whether it will come to Disney+ or some other platform at the same time. Of course, there is always the possibility that the movie could be once again delayed to accommodate a theatrical-exclusive release date down the line.

 

"Our situation and our conditions change," Chapek told Bloomberg. "Just a few weeks ago, theaters in New York and Los Angeles weren't even open. Now, all of a sudden they’re open, so we're waiting to see how prospective theatergoers respond to these reopenings. We're going to remain flexible. We'll make the call probably at the last minute in terms of how these films come to market, whether it's Black Widow or any other title."

 

The film, which was originally slated for a May 2020 release, has been delayed twice before -- first to November of 2020 and then to May of 2021. The nature of the vast, interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe, which releases at least two movies move years in theaters, means that each new delay for Black Widow creates a cascading effect of delays for other Marvel tentpoles, which then in turn force other major Disney releases to move as well.

 

[bentbryan]

2 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

 

Not to mention putting theaters over the barrel because they have no new content to show. Time for the mouse house to suck it up and stick with a plan.