Why Black Widow’s box office numbers are disappointing for Marvel and Disney

Black WidowNew box office numbers have bottomed out, hinting at future issues with Marvel franchise films under Disney ownership. Marvel has provided standalone movies for almost all of the major Avengers, including a few new TV series for new players, but Natasha Romanoff, as one of the first Avengers introduced in MCU Phase 1, has notably been left out. side. With the tragic death of Natasha in Avengers: Endgame (2019), Black Widow is a retroactive tribute to his character, putting the original Avengers to rest as he sets up storylines for the new one.

The long-awaited standalone film about Natasha Romanoff’s origins has not only been hit by box office numbers, but it has also come under criticism as to whether it really fits into the MCU phase. in which it came out. Black Widow takes place immediately after Captain America: Civil War (2016), leading to the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), which fits into the timeline of phase 3, although technically the fourth begins. Audiences were quick to note that the introduction of Black Widow’s solo story in Phase 2 or 3 could have further justified his death, exploring his torn family life and close connection to Clint Barton before. End of Game.

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Black WidowThe release date of has been pushed back by more than a year, contributing to its loss to the cultural vanguard as a poignant memorial for a character fans have been with since 2010. Black Widow was always meant to be the MCU’s first follow-up to Phase 3 and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and while still the first Marvel movie to release since 2019, its hype has been overshadowed by the success of Marvel’s Disney + series. WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. Although these may not be all of the factors contributing to Black Widowbox office slowdown, let’s see why the movie’s numbers don’t bode well for the future of Marvel and Disney.

Black Widow’s second weekend box office drop explained

Black Widow opened in theaters the weekend of July 9 alongside its release on Disney + ‘s Premier Access, where account owners can pay $ 30 for a month of home movie access. While only a few great movies like A Quiet Place, Part II and F9: The quick saga had already seen wide theatrical releases Black Widow, it won the biggest pandemic box office to date in its first weekend. Black WidowIts opening weekend grossed $ 219.2 million worldwide, with domestic box office figures totaling $ 80.4 million. Marvel fans were more anxious than others to return to the cinema, with Black Widow having the most pre-sale tickets of 2021 to date, even surpassing pre-order sales of MCU movies like Doctor strange and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Combined with Premier Access earnings from the opening weekend, Black Widow came in third for the biggest standalone MCU origin movie opening after Black Panther and Captain Marvel.

While Black WidowThe success of the opening weekend seemed to predict a long run with theatrical longevity for the MCU, the second weekend put all those hopes to rest. Aside from the pandemic box office records he set the previous weekend, Black Widow Sets another MCU box office record: the biggest drop in box office sales on week two of any MCU movie. Black Widowthe drop in income of 67% even exceeded that of Ant-Man and the Wasp, which fell 62 percent. The film’s second week even fell to second behind at the box office. Space Jam: a new legacy, which has had relatively poor critical reviews. While Black Widow received positive reviews from critics, holding an 82% review score and 91% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, its theatrical release issues pose a problem for future MCU movie launches.

Why Black Widow’s box office is disappointing for Marvel

Over the past decade, the Marvel films have been a consistent box office success for theaters around the world, with fans enjoying seeing all the action on the big screen while having fun with the audiences’ interactive cinematic experiences. . For almost two years after its release, Game overe held the record for the highest grossing film of all time, surpassing Titanic and Avatar, until the latter reclaimed the title in March 2021 after a re-release in China. End of Game raised $ 2 billion in just 11 days after release, so Marvel maintains its films at a high level of box office revenue compared to other franchises. As only the second Marvel movie released since End of Game, Black WidowThe record-breaking box office drop in is a hugely disappointing loss to the MCU’s invincibility at the box office.

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Since Black Widow was delayed three times during the pandemic, the film was marketed to bring not only Marvel fans but moviegoers around the world to theaters around the world. Marvel was the brand Black Widow because the MCU is back in theaters more than it has marketed Natasha’s commemoration, which means they designed the film as a way to remake all the losses it suffered without theatrical releases in 2020. With the MCU’s notoriety as a rather film-like audience cinematic experience, theaters were the best way to market the Marvel movie as a throwback to the interactive community. Considering Black WidowAn unprecedented drop in subsequent ticket sales, theatrical experiences may not be the best way to promote future films, and it proves that the MCU is not bulletproof in low attendance.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still not really over, so Black WidowThe numbers may reflect the average moviegoer and Marvel fans / worried about returning to the movies. It would be completely unreasonable for Marvel to expect Black Widow magnify anything that comes close to End of Game, although the pandemic affecting box office figures had to be anticipated. Black Widow was a multi-year project that involved one of the MCU’s most beloved characters, so its decline poses problems for Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings, a solo origin movie about the upcoming release of a new MCU character. Many things can happen before Shang-ChiSeptember 2021 theatrical release, including more shutdown restrictions related to COVID, but, as Black Widow proves, Marvel can’t just rely on its promotion as a comeback event in cinema.

What Black Widow’s box office means for Disney + Premier Access

While Black WidowSlow box office means theaters are a problem, Disney + ‘s Premier Access revenue generated $ 60 million globally in its opening weekend, raising hopes for Disney’s new streaming avenue. Black Widow is the first movie that Disney + released its Premier Access revenue for, so it’s hard to deduce what Transport has been compared to Cruel and Mulan. Considering that Disney + opening weekend revenue was just under a third of the opening box office numbers, the amount of money earned still gives hope for streaming future releases. This also bodes well for Disney, given that it makes a lot more money from Premier Access sales than it does from cinema revenue, which means a Disney + release has potential for the studio.

Black WidowThe success of Disney + may have also contributed to its sharp drop in box office sales in week two. While a theatrical screening usually means better sound, pictures, and better focus, tickets and concessions can be quite expensive for a family, meaning watching for $ 30 on your own TV can be a big deal. a much more financially feasible option. Premier Access also offers several other perks, such as 30-day access, which means audiences can watch the movie as many times as they want during that time instead of having to go back to the theaters and to buy more tickets for a second viewing. Likewise, it may have been the best option for those who are still uncomfortable visiting cinemas during the pandemic, bringing in the money lost to such sales at the box office.

First Access earning a large amount of money with Black Widow is good news for Disney, but it may mean that Marvel’s box office numbers will be skewed for the foreseeable future. When it comes to movie revenue, most movies until recent years used box office numbers to analyze their success, as online streaming and DVD rentals were mostly unavailable until. at the end of theatrical releases. Now that some movies are only available to stream, have limited box office releases before streaming, or have simultaneous streaming and theatrical releases, it’s increasingly difficult to detail how best for a movie to. get his money back. The success of movies online means more threats to theaters that have already lost an insurmountable percentage of revenue from services like Netflix. for theaters. Black WidowBox office history proves that films released at the same time on Disney + and theaters can hurt the longevity of future Marvel revenues.

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