A day after The Walt Disney Co. announced that Marvel Studios’Black Widow debuted to $218.8 million — including $60 million from Disney+ Premier Access and $158.8 million in global box office — the company’s stock jumped 4 percent July 12 while theater stocks dipped across the board.
Disney’s ability to boast a $200 million-plus worldwide opening, without relying solely on box office, certainly pleased investors, but traditional Hollywood studios and theater owners are less than enthusiastic about trumpeting streaming success during challenging times for moviegoing.
Until now, no traditional studio has publicly shared viewership numbers for any of the multitude of their movies that are debuting simultaneously in the home because of COVID-19 (the lone exception is Universal’s Trolls World Tour).
The Black Widow reveal could mark a paradigm shift and prompt others to share viewership data. (In this case, it equated to at least 2 million households.)
Sources say Disney is likely to announce Disney+ Premier numbers for Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. The event pic sets sail July 30 in theaters and, like Black Widow, simultaneously on Disney+ Premier Access for an additional $30.
