I think we can all agree that Marvel Studios had an incredible 2021 all things considered and thanks to its expansion via Disney+, the Marvel Cinematic Universe ushered in a brand new era that took the franchise to even greater heights. However, not everything was a hit for the media giant and its parent company Disney. If you may recall, actress Scarlett Johansson and the House of Mouse had a major dispute last year over the release model of Black Widow which became the first MCU film to have a simultaneous premiere in both cinemas and the streaming platform.
Black Widow performed extremely well during its premiere week, collecting $80 million at the domestic box office which at the time was the biggest opening weekend of the pandemic era. Apart from that, it also an additional $60 million on Disney+. However, the MCU film failed to maintain its strong momentum and even had a 68% drop at the box office.
The standalone flick also became one of 2021's most-pirated films and it ended up being a major financial blow for the House of Mouse. According to a report from Deadline, Black Widow got pirated more than 20 million times during its first month alone. It ultimately cost Disney over $600 million in revenue.
Also Read: Black Widow: Theater Owners Infuriated by Disney's Decision to Release it on Streaming
The decision to have Black Widow available for same-day screening on Disney's namesake streaming service was a daring and not to mention controversial move on the company's part which almost ended in disastrous fashion. Obviously, Disney learned their lesson from the outcome and since then, all of Marvel's full-length films have been theater-exclusive releases.
Black Widow is available for streaming on Disney+.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!