Black Widow: New Release Date Predictions

Black Widow has no choice but to move it's release date, so when will we finally see Phase 4 of the MCU? Movie theaters around the country have officially closed their doors, many for at least 6 weeks with predictions of extended to 12 weeks, as we get the coronavirus concerns sorted out. This has already caused Fast & Furious 9 to push back to next year, 007's No Time to Die to wait for November, and titles like The New Mutants, Mulan, A Quiet Place Part 2, and Antlers to pack their bags and move away from their respective release dates without a new date in sight. For Black Widow, there a few options for Marvel's biggest movie of the year.

So, with all eyes on Marvel Studios, where are they going to put Black Widow, as the CDC calls for no more than 50 people in the same place for at least the next two months? The earliest we could see the movie looks like May 22 -- this is the date which Fast & Furious 9 has now left open. However, this date does put Wonder Woman 1984 right on Black Widow's back with a June 5 date, and these two movies would cannibalize each other at the box office in a big way -- assuming we can all safely go to the movies by then.

So, let's push back further: June 26. The only other movie opening that day is In The Heights. Given that for many of you this is your first time hearing on the Lin-Manuel Miranda movie, it proves that it wouldn't be direct competition for Black Widow. In this case, the movie is 3 weeks after Wonder Woman and opens just before the popular July 4 weekend, where Ryan Reynolds is trying to find success with Free Guy. Opposing Reynolds and Taika Waititi is not necessarily an ideal scenario, but possibly the best available for Week 2 if Black Widow wants to come out early in the summer.

Remember -- we can't go back too far. Marvel has Eternals dropping in November and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to hit Disney+ in August. This raises an important question: Is The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's story directly fueled by that of Black Widow, requiring viewers to watch Black Widow first and possibly explaining why Disney has been so hesitant to announce the delay? This could then set off a domino effect as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Eternals, WandaVision, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, and Loki are all set to release in succession of one another.

Assuming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier does not ultimately impact Black Widow's release date, August 28 seems like the latest possible scenario, giving Black Widow a fairly clear runway to dominate September after opening against Spell and The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. This could give the film plenty of room to run at the box office before Eternals hits theaters, possibly calling for a bit of overlap, but Marvel did that before with Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. Both of those movies were successful at the box office.

Keep in mind, a lot of this also depends on where the other movies like Mulan, A Quiet Place, and The New Mutants end up landing.

When do you think Black Widow is going to hit theaters? Share your thoughts in the comment section and be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter because we are having Quarantine Watch Parties while the movie theaters are closed down and you don't want to miss out on that fun. For more, stay tuned to Comicbook.com/Marvel as updates come available.