'Black Widow' Is Officially Coming To Disney+, So Get Excited

While Marvel is having a renaissance in TV series over on Disney+, the big-screen blockbuster situation remains volatile. Movie theaters are finally reopening. but most audiences aren't comfortable with returning yet, which makes spring release dates tricky. Luckily for fans, Marvel is trying to make things work, most recently giving the long-delayed Black Widow movie a firm release date both in theaters and on Disney+. So, here's how to stream Black Widow:

Black Widow was initially supposed to arrive in theaters on May 1, 2020, as the first title in Marvel's heralded Phase 4. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, its release was pushed back to Nov. 6, and then to May 7, 2021.

It seemed like Black Widow might have lucked out with the May release, with vaccines flowing and theaters reopening. But as the release date drew closer and variant cases started rising, Marvel CEO Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Chapek both agreed they'd be making a last-minute decision on how to proceed.

With six week to go before the scheduled premiere, Disney and Marvel finally blinked. After holding out for a full year to keep Black Widow in theaters only, on March 23, Disney announced the film will simultaneously release on the big screen and at home via Disney+'s Premier Access tier (meaning Disney+ subscribers will have to pay $29.99 to access it) on July 9. With this move, it's a good bet this is the final rescheduling of Black Widow's theatrical debut.

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should note this date shift means more than just Black Widow's release being pushed back. By moving to July, the film bumps back the planned summer release of Shang-Chi & The Ten Rings to September. The Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home remain in their November and December berths respectively.

Black Widow arrives in both theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on July 9, 2021.