Walt Disney Co on Tuesday delayed the worldwide release of Marvel Studios film Black Widow by two months until July.
The studio also said it would offer the movie simultaneously in theaters and for a fee on the Disney+ streaming service, reported Reuters.
Theater operators had been hoping that Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson as the Russian-born spy-turned-superhero, would kick off a summer blockbuster season in early May and draw crowds back to theaters after extended closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Shares of AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest cinema operator, slumped 16% after the announcement.
Disney also said it would offer live-action movie Cruella for a fee to Disney+ customers on the same day it hits cinemas, which is scheduled for May 28.
Cruella and Black Widow will cost Disney+ customers an additional $30 each to stream at home.
“Today’s announcement reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences,” Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said in a statement.
The company delayed a handful of other films, including the Marvel film Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is now set to reach theaters on Sept. 3 instead of July 9.
Movie theater executives had been encouraged by recent cinema reopenings in Los Angeles and New York City, the two biggest moviegoing markets in the United States, and an increase in vaccinations across the country.
But Disney’s changes are likely to dent box office sales during the summer as some moviegoers opt to watch Black Widow or Cruella at home, and in most cases will not have a chance to see the latest Pixar film in theaters.
The next big-budget action movie on the theaters’ summer schedule is the Fast & Furious movie F9, from Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures, on June 25.
The shifts are among several changes Hollywood studios have tested during the pandemic.
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