Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) has been chastised by a trade group representing the country’s movie theaters for weakening the theatrical box office potential of its release of “Black Widow” by simultaneously making the film available for home viewing on the Disney+ streaming service.
What happened was this: Despite positive reviews and a high level of audience anticipation for this Marvel action/adventure film, the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) released a press statement on Sunday complaining that “Black Widow” experienced a “surprising 41 percent second day drop, a weaker than expected opening weekend, and a stunning second weekend collapse in theatrical revenues.”
Disney said the film grossed $60 million in its first weekend of availability on Disney+, yet the corporation hasn’t released data since July 9-11.
NATO attributed a lower-than-expected box office gross to the Disney+ streaming release of “Black Widow.”
According to the NATO press release, “based on comparable Marvel titles and other successful pandemic-era movies like ‘F9’ and ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ opening day to weekend ratios, ‘Black Widow’ should have debuted at anywhere from $92-$100 million.” “Based on preview revenue, ‘Black Widow’ might have opened somewhere between $97 and $130 million, depending on the competition.”
‘F9,’ from Comcast Corporation’s (NASDAQ: CMCSA) Universal Pictures, did not have a simultaneous streaming release in the United States, while “A Quiet Place Part II,” from ViacomCBS’ (NASDAQ: VIAC) Paramount, did not appear on the Paramount+ streaming service until 45 days after its theatrical debut.
‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ is a related film.
‘Stomps ‘Black Widow’ At The Weekend Box Office In The United States
What Else Has Occurred: According to data from the TorrentFreak.com website, “Black Widow” lost money owing to piracy of its streaming presentation, and it was the most torrented film for the week ending July 12.
“It’s also available on a plethora of unauthorized streaming sites scattered across the Internet,” NATO added. “‘Wonder Woman 1984,’ ‘Godzilla versus Kong,’ ‘Cruella,’ and ‘Mortal Kombat’ were all released at the same time. Neither ‘F9’ nor ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ has this problem. What was the total amount of money lost as a result of simultaneous release piracy?”
Disney has not officially acknowledged the NATO protest, despite earlier stating that after the COVID-19 outbreak has passed, it will resume its typical theatrical-only distribution plan.
A scene from Disney’s “Black Widow” features Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh.
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