David Farnor | On 14, Jul 2021

Black Widow was a hit in cinemas and in living rooms, Disney has announced, following its release both on the big screen and on Disney+ last week.

The movie was the latest Disney title to be given a Premier Access release on the House of Mouse’s subscription streaming service, with subscribers able to access the movie for £19.99 as a one-off fee. While Disney hasn’t been forthcoming about figures for its Premium VOD model in the past – previous films to go down the Premier Access route include Cruella, Raya and the Last Dragon and Mulan – but has confirmed that Marvel’s much-delayed blockbuster took more than $60 million in consumer spend globally.

That performance didn’t dent its theatrical run, though, with $80 million taken at the domestic box office – the largest domestic opening weekend since Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019. It was also the highest domestic opening weekend for a Marvel Cinematic Universe origin story after Black Panther and Captain Marvel. Combined with $78 million at the international box office, that brings its estimated total takings over its opening weekend to more than $125 million worldwide.

That means you can expect Disney to continue down this route for future titles as well.

“Black Widow’s strong performance this weekend affirms our flexible distribution strategy of making franchise films available in theaters for a true cinematic experience and, as COVID concerns continue globally, providing choice to consumers who prefer to watch at home on Disney+,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution.

“Black Widow’s solo outing is a thrillingly grounded and deceptively dark spy flick,” we wrote in our review.

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