Disney still plans to release Black Widow in cinemas

Disney boss Bob Chapek has insisted Black Widow will be released in cinemas and not on Disney+.

The Marvel blockbuster, starring Scarlett Johansson as the titular superhero, was originally due to hit cinemas in May last year but was pushed to November amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

It was postponed once again after Marvel and Disney bosses decided to have Black Widow hit cinemas in May this year, and if all goes well, it will be the first blockbuster of the year to be released in cinemas.

It has been speculated that the movie would be heading to Disney+, following in the footsteps of the live-action Mulan and Soul, which skipped cinemas and premiered on the streaming service last year.

Now, Disney CEO Chapek has dismissed the rumours and insisted that the action thriller will be heading to movie theatres.

"We are still intending it to be a theatrical release," he said during Disney's quarterly earnings call, according to Variety.

The hotly-anticipated movie sees Johansson reprise her role as the fan-favourite hero Natasha Romanoff, alongside Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomers Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz.

However, he declined to confirm if Black Widow would be hitting cinemas in May, or would be delayed again.

"We're going to be watching very carefully the reopening of theatres and consumer sentiment on going back to theatres. Some films we will take theatrically. Some films we will take to Disney Premier Access. And in some cases, we will take it directly to service (Disney+)," he added. "It's really about flexibility. We're going to steer our decision making over time given (the needs) of our subscriber base."