Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios have chosen to delay the Black Widow release date. Black Widow is just the latest of numerous tentpole features, including Mulan, The New Mutants, The Batman, and Jurassic World: Dominion, to face either production or release date delays and postponements as the global coronavirus pandemic fundamentally changes how we carry on with work and daily life.

Black Widow was originally scheduled to arrive in U.S. theaters on May 1. Now, the release date for the MCU solo feature starring Scarlett Johansson, back as Avenger Natasha Romanoff, as well as Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour will be delayed until further notice. Additionally, dates for The Personal History of David Copperfield and The Woman in the Window, both coming out under the respective Disney-owned Searchlight and 20th Century Studios banners, have been postponed until further notice. David Copperfield was originally scheduled for May 8 and The Woman in the Window was set for May 15. Unlike Universal, it’s unclear if Disney has any plans to push their upcoming releases to VOD or a company-owned streaming platform like Disney+ or Hulu.

As previously mentioned, Black Widow is just the latest of many, many tentpoles to face release date delays due to growing concerns over the global spread of the novel coronavirus. Here in the U.S., the CDC continues to issue new guidelines on how to stay safe and prevent the spread of the virus as well as recommend restrictions on public gatherings. As such, theater chains including AMC Theaters have either begun closing locations nationwide, including in big cities like New York City and Los Angeles. A release date delay for Black Widow was no doubt decided on in light of these major changes, which would inevitably impact box office receipts and put the safety of theatergoers at risk.

via Collider