Cinema Owners Blame Disney For Poor ‘Black Widow’ Box Office Returns

Cinema owners in the US have blamed Disney+ for poor box office returns on Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’ despite breaking records.

‘Black Widow’ smashed box office records in the pre pandemic area, earning a massive $80 million in cinemas and $60 million on Disney+ in its opening weekend.

Even with this huge success the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) have criticised the films release on streaming service Disney+.

In a statement to Variety, NATO said: “Despite assertions that this pandemic-era improvised release strategy was a success for Disney and the simultaneous release model, it demonstrates that an exclusive theatrical release means more revenue for all stakeholders in every cycle of the movie’s life.”

NATO estimates that without a hybrid release, the film could have earned between $92 million and $100 million in cinemas.

They also pointed out that in the second week after release revenue from cinemas sales dropped to $26 million.

Disney has not yet made a comment on the statement by NATO. ‘Black Widow’ is currently available to watch in cinemas and on Disney+.

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