Marvel Studios Should Blame THIS Over 'Black Widow' Immediate Box Office Drop
"Black Widow" successfully took over the box office list soon after its arrival, but the fun did not last for so long.
This month, the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally released the first film of Phase 4. "Black Widow," which stars Scarlet Johansson, serves as the actress' first and last standalone film.
Despite having a never-before-heard prequel, the movie failed to keep its box office sales high.
Why "Black Widow" Failed To Maintain Its Debut Record?
This week, the Marvel movie saw a 67 percent drop over the weekend compared to its $80 million.
According to the National Association of Theater Owners, Marvel Studios' strategy to release it on Disney+ affected the supposed success of the movie.
"Despite assertions that this pandemic-era improvised release strategy was a success for Disney and the simultaneous release model, it demonstrates that an exclusive theatrical release means more revenue for all stakeholders in every cycle of the movie's life," NATO said, per The Wrap.
Within 10 days, "Black Widow" garnered a total of $131 million and $264 million both domestic and worldwide, respectively. This weekend, it only reached a gross of $26 million.
Meanwhile, Disney reported that it earned $60 million in its paid streaming sales during the opening weekend.
Because Marvel Studios released the film on the platform and cinemas simultaneously, it snatched its opportunity to reach at least $90-million opening at the box office. In addition, NATO explained how the paid streaming revenue at the same time as the theatrical run affected the life of the film.
Even before the pandemic happened, NATO insisted that releasing a movie in theaters alone can generate more for a studio. It would earn more if they choose to release it on home platforms weeks or months after the official debut on cinemas.
But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios tried to expand its franchise on streaming giants.
This may happen again soon as Disney plans to release the next film of the franchise, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." The company set a 45-day exclusive theatrical window.
With this current situation, NATO asked Disney and other platforms to help cinemas recover again. It suggested allowing films exists in theaters as they try to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The most important answer is that simultaneous release is a pandemic-era artifact that should be left to history with the pandemic itself," the statement went on.
