After the record, the flop. The
Marvel Studios
film
Black Widow
was the first major US box office hit when theaters reopened. For its first weekend of exploitation, the film worn by Scarlett Johansson made it possible to rake in $ 80 million in the American market alone. However, from the second week of broadcast, the revenue generated collapsed by 41%. One of the biggest drops recorded for a Marvel title. “
How could a film so well conceived, so well received and so expected have underperformed so much
?” Asks the American association of cinema owners in a press release. Their eyes turn to Disney.
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Black Widow,
the first post-Covid record at the American box office
In their sights, the double diffusion decided by the American group.
The film is available both in theaters and on their Disney + video on demand service.
To see the feature film online, you had to pay $ 29.99 in addition to the classic subscription.
The online formula quickly found its audience.
According to Disney, $ 60 million was generated online in a matter of days.
A digital success all the more striking as the firm is usually discreet about its streaming audiences.
At the height of the pandemic, the group had pushed the logic further.
And made the choice to skip the cinema box by broadcasting
Mulan
only on its platform.
With again a supplement to pay.
Unlike theatrical release, every dollar generated goes directly into the pockets of the entertainment business.
Cannibalized audience
A success for Disney, yes, but at what cost? According to American cinemas, the company has completely cannibalized the
Black Widow
audience
by playing on two tables. The union also criticizes digital broadcasting for fueling piracy, which “
risks affecting the performance of the film on international markets where it has not yet been released
”. They also mention that an exclusive to cinemas "
means more income for all the link segments in the life of a film
". Several million dollars would have been lost as a result of this strategy.
Disney refuses to comment on the matter.
The firm has already promised that it will return to a classic mode of distribution when the page of the pandemic is turned.
In France, such a scenario is impossible.
Despite the theatrical release of
Black Widow
in theaters, the film is nowhere to be found on Disney +.
The reason is simple, the American giant is subject to a release schedule called the media timeline.
For the time being, a platform can only broadcast a film three years after its theatrical release, with a few exceptions.
A calendar which could be modified in the more or less near future.