Disney will release Mulan straight-to-Disney+, but hasn't announced similar plans for Black Widow yet; looking at the two movies, it makes sense why the live-action remake would be the one they choose for streaming. The world has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic for several months; in Hollywood, the ongoing health crisis has resulted in a string of production suspensions, as well as blockbuster delays as cinemas closed for business in light of safety protocols. A handful of movies have already opted to release via streaming services or VoD. For Niki Caro's Mulan, there was initial hope that it could roll out in cinemas after Disney delayed it a couple of times from its original March 27 release date. The live-action reimagining of the 1998 animated film was rescheduled to July 24, and then further back to August 21, until it was recently announced that Mulan will hit Disney+ instead for an additional $30.
With Disney deciding to drop its first major blockbuster on Disney+ as a workaround for the coronavirus pandemic (having previously released Artemis Fowl on the service as well), there's the assumption that more of the studio's delayed projects will also follow suit. That includes Marvel Studios' Black Widow, which was supposed to roll out back in May, effectively kicking off MCU's Phase 4. That said, that's not the case; despite Mulan's release shift, Disney's Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek maintains that are no plans rolling out Black Widow on their streaming service, at least for now.
The main reason for this decision stems from the difference between Mulan and Black Widow in terms of a target audience. For starters, Disney has tried delaying Mulan a couple of times now, but to no avail. The movie has already premiered and was only a few weeks away from hitting theaters when, unfortunately, the coronavirus situation broke out back in March. Further pushing it back doesn't make sense since the remaining months of the year are already stacked with other delayed blockbusters. As a kid-friendly movie, it's uniquely enticing for families, meaning parents are more likely to spend the extra $30 on watching a brand new Disney live-action movie for their children. Coronavirus has hampered summer plans for most families, so enjoying a new release appropriate for both kids and adults at the comforts of their own homes is something that a lot of parents would be interested in doing. While Mulan will also be simultaneously available on select open cinemas in the country, it's less likely for a whole family to risk physically going to theaters now and perhaps until the foreseeable future given the circumstances.
Things are a little bit different for Black Widow, however. With the MCU being Disney's most lucrative brand, the film would be big enough to entice people to go out and see it on the big screen. With an established brand, the Cate Shortland and Scarlett Johansson blockbuster is the studio's best post-coronavirus offering as fans are more committed to watching it in theaters compared to Mulan (not least since Disney has already made live-action remakes for Disney+).
On top of that, Marvel Studios already has a string of content lined-up for Disney+. While there are no specific release dates yet for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision, both shows are currently at the tail-end of their production. Marvel Studios and Disney is simply waiting for them to finish filming before announcing when they'll be available to stream on the platform which could be soon. Finally, unlike Mulan, there's no rush to release Black Widow; while it exists in the MCU, it has an isolated narrative, meaning the aforementioned TV shows can release first before it hits theaters. This extended MCU break also couldn't come at a better time considering that the franchise just wrapped up the Infinity Saga.
This doesn't mean, however, that Disney hasn't thought on the possibility of dropping Black Widow on Disney+. Depending on how the coronavirus situation shakes out, that could still be the case. For now, however, only Mulan is slated to release through the platform.
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