Disney delays release of 'Black Widow,' 'West Side Story,' and more films

The coronavirus pandemic has further delayed the release of some highly-anticipated movies including Marvel's "Black Widow" and director Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story."

The Scarlett Johansson Marvel movie “Black Widow,” last set for Nov. 6, heads to May 7 of next year. Instead of opening next month, Kenneth Branagh's murder mystery “Death on the Nile" moves to Dec. 18. That was the date originally set for “West Side Story,” but Spielberg's remake of the classic 1961 musical will instead debut in December 2021.

Disney didn't entirely abandon the season. The Pixar release “Soul” remains on the calendar for late November. “The Empty Man," a horror release from the former 20th Century Fox, is moving up from December to Oct. 23.

But the delays of Disney's highly anticipated films reinforce the growing exodus from 2020 among the blockbusters that hadn't already uprooted to next year.

Following tepid ticket sales for the spy-fi film "Tenet" -- in a U.S. theatrical marketplace where about 30% of cinemas remain closed -- Warner Bros moved  “Wonder Woman 1984” from October to Christmas. The supernatural slasher tale “Candyman,” from Oscar winner Jordan Peele, has also been postponed by Universal Pictures until next year.

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Given the interconnected nature of Marvel releases, the latest delay of “Black Widow” had a domino effect on other films from the comic book kingdom. Destin Daniel Cretton's “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” starring Simu Liu as the martial arts hero, is now slated for July 9, 2021, instead of May 7. Chloé Zhao “Eternals,” with Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan and Kumail Nanjiani, moves from February to Nov. 5, 2021.

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“Marvel made the right and responsible decision,” Nanjiani said on Twitter. “There’s a pandemic. Nothing is more important than health and lives. I can’t tell people to go to a movie theater until I feel safe going to one.”

The Ben Affleck-Ana de Armas thriller “Deep Water” was also pushed from November until August next year.

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Notably, Disney didn't announce any films were pivoting to its Disney+ streaming service. Since the pandemic began, the company's “Mulan,” “Hamilton” and “Artemis Fowl” have gone direct to streaming. "Mulan" was made available for a special $30 premium purchase by subscribers. Disney has declined to share digital grosses for “Mulan," though the live-action remake has underperformed in theaters overseas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report