‘Black Widow’ Debuts With $80 million in Theaters

The movie “Black Widow” has captured a massive $80 million in its first weekend, crushing the benchmark for the biggest opening weekend since the pandemic.

The film opened simultaneously in theaters and on Disney Plus as part of the streaming service’s Premier Access offering, where subscribers can rent “Black Widow” for an extra $30. Disney reported that “Black Widow” generated more than $60 million “in Disney Plus Premier Access consumer spend globally,” marking the rare occasion in which a studio discloses revenues for digital rentals. Overseas, “Black Widow” collected $78 million in its debut, boosting its global box office haul to $158 million.

In a statement on Sunday morning, Disney’s media and entertainment distribution chairman Kareem Daniel said “‘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 Plus.”

After a brutal year and change for the movie theater business, the performance of “Black Widow” is encouraging to Hollywood and film exhibitors alike. David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, says Marvel remains in a league of its own at the box office. After all, few film franchises would still be able to galvanize audiences 24 films in.

Universal’s “F9: The Fast Saga” came in a distant second place with $10.8 million. Since it released on the big screen three weeks ago, the action sequel starring Vin Diesel has generated $141 million in North America. At the international box office, it crossed the $400 million mark, boosting its global total to $541.8 million.

Universal also took third and fourth place on domestic box office charts with “Boss Baby: Family Business” ($8.7 million) and “The Forever Purge” ($6.7 million). “The Boss Baby” sequel and the most recent “Purge” installment each opened theatrically over the July 4 holiday weekend and have now collected $34.7 million and $27.4 million, respectively.

The blockbuster movie “Black Widow” is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name starring Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. and a host of others.

Stephanie .S /Reuters