A new report suggests the box office projections for Marvel's Black Widow more than tripled thanks to its most recent release delay. The long-awaited Marvel Cinematic Universe movie has suffered more than most due to the pandemic, getting pushed back from a May 2020 release to November 2020, then May 2021, and finally landing on a July 9 release in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access this year. Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow is the first solo movie for Scarlett Johansson's character, despite her being in the MCU for the past decade.

The movie also stars David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, and Florence Pugh as Natasha's so-called family, who were all part of the Black Widow program in some shape or form. Audiences are desperate to watch it, as the new Black Widow trailer was watched more than Wandavision and Loki's first looks, proving there is still momentum behind the release despite its many delays. But some fans haven't been happy with the delays, wondering why Disney hasn't just released Black Widow on Disney+ Premier Access while the pandemic is ongoing. But a new report suggests the studio has it all figured out.

Related: Black Widow's Trailer Proves It Isn't Releasing Too Late

The Observer reports that a box office analysis on Black Widow projects that it now stands to make up to $170 million domestically. This is more than three times the amount it was projected to make when it was going to be released in May, with that projection standing at just $45 million domestically. Additionally, Jeff Bock, Senior Box Office Analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told the Observer that the delay has only "helped their cause" given the higher box office potential the later releases are pushed into summer. You can read Bock's full comments below:

As far as Marvel goes and other films that have pushed further back into summer, that can only help their cause at this point, as the science of things points to the film industry getting more resilient across the board. That’s excellent news for blockbusters, considering budgets usually balloon upwards of $200M these days.

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha in Black Widow movie trailer

The delay, then, has tripled Black Widow's box office potential, and while the numbers pale in comparison to the figures seen pre-COVID, there's no doubt the delay will prove to be beneficial for the movie. And those numbers could go up even further, as the projections are based on current targets for theater openings. Suppose states like New York and California see COVID spread dropping in early summer due to widespread vaccination. In that case, there's a chance more theaters could open and push those projections even higher.

Disney did their homework and will be satisfied with those projections, which give Black Widow a solid chance at making a profit, especially when you add in international box office potential and money made from Disney+'s Premier Access fees. The decision to delay the MCU outing, along with six other movies, should mean Disney ends up having a better 2021 at the box office than analysts might have predicted at the beginning of the year.

Next: Why Black Widow's New Release Date Delay Is Good For The MCU

Source: Observer

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