Well this isn’t hugely surprising. Walt Disney Studios has delayed the release dates for their upcoming blockbuster slate, including Black Widow, Eternals and more.
According to Variety, the studio’s upcoming releases featuring Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile, have been pushed back a number of months.
This shifts the distribution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe calendar, with Black Widow shifting from Nov. 6 to May 7, 2021. This pushes back the star studded ensemble Eternals, which will now debut Nov. 5 2021, from Feb. 12, 2021.
Interestingly, Shang Chi, Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead, has moved from May 7, 2021 to July 9, 2021, which will now proceed Eternals.
Disney has reportedly kept the late November release date for Pixar’s Soul, contrary to popular belief that it was heading straight to streaming service Disney+.
Here’s Disney’s updated film slate:
2020
“The Empty Man” — Oct. 23
“Soul” — Nov. 20
“Free Guy” — Dec. 11
“Death on the Nile” — Dec. 18
2021
“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” — Jan. 22
“The King’s Man” — Feb. 12
“Raya and the Last Dragon” — March 12
“Bob’s Burgers” — April 9
“Ron’s Gone Wrong” — April 23
“Black Widow” — May 7
“Cruella” — May 28
“Luca” — June 18
“Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — July 9
“Jungle Cruise” — July 30
“Deep Water” — Aug. 13
“Beatles Get Back” — Aug. 27
“The Last Duel” — Oct. 15
“Eternals” — Nov. 5
“West Side Story” — Dec. 10
The Studio is reportedly shifting their release schedule due to the poor box office performance of Tenet in America, but this leaves cinemas in a real dilemma. With many reopening to align with the release of live-action Mulan and Tenet, but the studio proceeded to release Mulan on their streaming service, Disney+.
With a number of other big studios also postponing their films due to New York and Los Angeles, the two biggest markets in the U.S., not yet opening cinemas, this leave significant gaps in the release calendar. Will this spell significant disaster for cinema chains around the world?
