The Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming back to theaters with Black Widow, and early estimate numbers tell us that the pandemic didn’t affect the popularity of the MCU. Even if all theaters aren't operating at full capacity yet, the solo adventure of Scarlett Johansson’s super-spy is on track to be the most successful release since the beginning of the pandemic.
With Black Widow estimates putting preview night U.S. box office at $13.2 million, the new MCU dethrones the already impressive results of F9, which got $7.1 million on its first Thursday. The numbers are not only high for pandemic metrics but also in comparison to other MCU movies. As an example, Ant-Man and the Wasp hauled $11.5 million on preview night, while Guardians of the Galaxy only reached $11.2 million. Early predictions also project a box office between $80 million and $90 million for a 3-day start. That doesn’t take into consideration 41 international markets where the movie is already available, including France, Russia, Australia, Japan, and Brazil.
It’s no surprise that Black Widow has been well-received in theaters. Before the pandemic, Disney released three MCU movies every year, all of them making hundreds of millions of dollars. However, since Black Widow is the first MCU movie to also be available on Disney+ at release time, the question of whether streaming and piracy could hurt the movie’s profits lingered. The answer is no, apparently, as Black Widow has started its time in theaters by surpassing expectations.
Natasha’s long-overdue solo adventure happens between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, leading the heroine to confront her past and bring down the evil organization that builds female assassins such as herself. Cate Shortland directs Black Widow from a story by Jac Schaeffer (WandaVision) and Ned Benson (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby), and a screenplay written by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok). The movie also stars Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour.
Black Widow is now available in theaters and to stream via Disney+ Premier Acess.
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By: Marco Vito Oddo
Title: Black Widow Thursday Box Office Pulls in Pandemic-Best $13.2 Million
Sourced From: collider.com/black-widow-thursday-box-office/
Published Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 15:56:44 GMT
