Exclusive: ‘Black Widow’ Sets A New Box Office Record With $80M

Exclusive: ‘Black Widow’ sets a new box office record with $80 million.

 

Even though they could see “Black Widow” at home, moviegoers flocked to the theaters in epidemic proportions this weekend to see the first Marvel film in two years.

 

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that even though they could see “Black Widow” at home, moviegoers flocked to the theaters in epidemic proportions this weekend to see the first Marvel film in two years.

The Walt Disney Company announced on Sunday that the superhero film grossed an estimated $80 million in North American ticket sales.

 

“Black Widow” grossed more than $215 million in its opening weekend, thanks to $78 million from international cinemas and at least $60 million in Disney+ Premier Access rentals.

According to the studio, this is the biggest opening weekend since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” released in 2019, before the pandemic.

 

It’s a huge victory for coronavirus-era moviegoers.

 

The previous pandemic record-holder in North America was Universal’s “F9,” which launched at $70 million a few weeks ago.

 

However, unlike “Black Widow,” which is playing on 4,100 screens, the ninth “Fast & Furious” film was only available in theaters.

The film “Black Widow,” featuring Scarlett Johansson, has taken a long time to reach theaters.

 

The movie was originally scheduled to be released in May of 2020, but it was postponed due to the epidemic.

 

Disney eventually chose to release it “day and date,” which means on many platforms at the same time.

 

“Black Widow” was released in theaters and for a $30 rental on Disney+, the company’s subscription streaming service.

 

Although not unique for pandemic film releases, or even for Disney, who did the same with “Cruella,” this is the first Marvel film to try the hybrid technique. And it is by far the most profitable yet.

 

It is unusual for studios to provide streaming earnings grosses in real-time.

 

“The strong performance of ‘Black Widow’ this weekend validates our flexible distribution strategy of making franchise films available in theaters for a true cinematic experience and, as COVID concerns continue globally, providing choice to consumers who prefer to watch at home on Disney+,” said Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, in a statement.