Black Widow's Box Office Debut Falls Short of Pandemic-Era Norms

Marvel's latest film, starring Scarlett Johansson, earns $80 million in its opening weekend

Despite a simultaneous release on Disney+, the film fails to meet expectations

Black Widow, the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuted with $80 million at the domestic box office over the weekend, falling short of expectations and pandemic-era norms. The film, which stars Scarlett Johansson as the titular character, also simultaneously premiered on Disney+, the streaming service owned by Marvel's parent company, The Walt Disney Co.

The opening weekend gross for Black Widow is the lowest for any Marvel film since Ant-Man and The Wasp in 2018, which earned $75.8 million in its first three days. It is also significantly lower than the $105.5 million opening weekend of Captain Marvel in 2019, which was the last Marvel film to be released before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The simultaneous release of Black Widow on Disney+ is likely a factor in the lower-than-expected box office performance. Disney has not released specific streaming data for the film, but it is believed that a significant number of viewers chose to watch the movie at home rather than in theaters.

The disappointing box office debut of Black Widow is a sign that the movie industry is still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many moviegoers are still hesitant to return to theaters, and the simultaneous release of films on streaming services is giving them another option.

It remains to be seen whether Black Widow will be able to recoup its production and marketing costs. The film has a reported budget of $200 million, and it will need to earn at least $400 million worldwide to break even.