Disney moves Black Widow to Summer 2021 amid significant scheduling shifts

In a move that surprises no one, Marvel Studios and Disney have opted to delay the release of BLACK WIDOW once again. This time, the film shifts to next Summer which results in a domino effect of release date changes at the House of Mouse.

Additionally, it's been stated that none of Disney's yet-to-be-released films are headed to Disney+ as a result of the delay. That includes the release of Pixar's SOUL, which is still expected to launch alongside MGM's NO TIME TO DIE on November 20th.

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Below you'll find the latest updates to the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release schedule:

THE EMPTY MAN (20th) previously dated on 12/4/20 moves to 10/23/20

BLACK WIDOW (Disney) previously dated on 11/6/20 moves to 5/7/21

ETERNALS (Disney) previously dated on 2/12/21 moves to 11/5/21

SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (Disney) previously dated on 5/7/21 moves to 7/9/21

UNTITLED DISNEY EVENT FILM (Disney) previously dated on 7/9/21 is removed from the schedule

DEEP WATER (20th) previously dated on 11/13/20 moves to 8/13/21

UNTITLED 20TH CENTURY (20th) previously dated on 8/13/21 is removed from the schedule

WEST SIDE STORY (20th) previously dated on 12/18/20 moves to 12/10/21

THE KING’S MAN (20th) previously dated on 2/26/21 moves to 2/12/21

Good grief. Do y'all remember when BLACK WIDOW was expected to open on May 1 of this year? Those were good times, eh? Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has derailed everything from theater openings to stadium-style concerts and pretty much anything that involves crowds larger than ten people. We're truly living in unprecedented times and until theaters in places like New York and Los Angeles can safely reopen, we're likely to see more tentpole releases pushed until who knows when.

To put things into perspective here's the remainder of 2020's wide releases that are bound for theaters … for now:

Oct. 9

The War With Grandpa (101 Studios)

Oct. 16

2 Hearts (Freestyle)

Honest Thief (Open Road)

Oct. 23

The Empty Man (20th/Disney)

Oct. 30

Fatale (Lionsgate)

Come Play (Focus/Amblin)

Nov. 6

Let Him Go (Focus)

Nov. 13

Freaky (Universal/Blumhouse)

The Comeback Trail (Cloudburst)

Nov. 20

No Time to Die (MGM/UAR)

Soul (Disney)

Nov. 25

Voyagers (Lionsgate)

Happiest Season (Sony/Tri-Star)

The Croods: A New Age (Universal/Dreamworks Animation)

Dec. 11

Free Guy (20th/Disney)

Dec. 18

Death on the Nile (20th/Disney)

Coming to America 2 (Paramount)

Dune (Warner Bros./Legendary)

Dec. 25

Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)

News of the World (Universal)

Dec. 30

Escape Room 2 (Sony/Screen Gems)

There you have it, folks. I truly don't mean to be all doom and gloom but it's difficult to remain optimistic when I feel as if several of the above-listed films are just waiting to be pushed to next year as well. Who's got a time machine so we can get a do-over for this abysmal year? Who's got the crystal ball that can tell us when we'll be able to move on from this mess? I welcome any and all good news for the film industry as well as theater owners, so let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope that better days are sure to come.