New CDC Recommendation Means Bad News for Black Widow

As efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 continue nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control has issued a new recommendation which may mean bad news for Marvel Studios’ upcoming release of Black Widow. On Sunday, the CDC issued a new recommendation regarding large events and mass gatherings, indicating that organizers of such events should cancel outright or postpone in-person events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks — meaning now through May 10, a date that interferes with Black Widow‘s current release date of May 1.

“Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals,” the new guidance reads.

“Therefor, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.”

While the guidance doesn’t specifically note movie theaters as one of the large events and mass gatherings, movie screenings would certainly fall in the “50 people or more” description as most theaters hold well more than fifty seats. As AMC Theaters in particular announced last week that they were proactively taking measures to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus, cutting in half the number of tickets they would make available at all U.S. theaters. This new CDC guidance, however, is sharply lower than half.

If movie theaters do comply with this latest guidance, the suggested duration may present direct impact on Black Widow‘s box office should it be released on time. Up until now, many have assumed that Black Widow‘s May release date provided it a cushion from the pandemic response that no longer appears to exist. With other films, such as No Time To Die, A Quiet Place Part II, Fast & Furious, and even Disney’s Mulan all having pushed back their release dates and “social distancing” advice growing more and more restrictive, the writing may be on the wall for Black Widow to delay as well.

At this point, it’s still wait and see regarding Black Widow‘s release date. The film is still more than six weeks away from release and by then it’s possible that we’ll know a lot more about how effective — or ineffective — efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 are. Until then, fans will want to keep their eyes open for updates as well as keep safe as the pandemic continues.

Black Widow is currently slated to open in theaters on May 1.