Why is Black Widow not releasing on July 9 in India?

Marvel Studios’ upcoming movie Black Widow has been generating quite a hype among fans ever since its announcement. Based on her MCU character Natasha Romanoff, the story would provide an insight into her journey before she became a spy and a SHIELD agent to eventually join the Avengers. Set in the immediate aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha is on the run, having opposed the Sokovia Accords, and is forced to face her troubled past and mend the rough patches of her relationships. A highly anticipated movie, it would provide justice to this popular character marking her first stand-alone project.

Getting a hybrid release in North America and several other territories, Black Widow is going to hit the theatres, as well as will be streamed on Disney+ Hotstar’s Premier Access on July 9 for a charge of $30 on the same date.

This seems to have been motivated by rival strategies as we saw Warner Bros start a trend last year when it announced that every 2021 movie from them would release in theatres and on HBO Max on the same day. However, Disney has tested the waters before coming to this decision. After the apparent success of Kelly Marie Tran-led Raya and the Last Dragon, which was released in a hybrid model — both in cinema halls and on streaming – it was declared that Cruella, Black Widow, and Jungle Cruise would follow the same footsteps.

However, Indian fans are in for a rough ride, as we are not on the roster for the movie’s premiere on July 9. The film was supposed to get a theatrical release in India at the same time as the rest of the world but the devastating second wave of the pandemic, and the subsequent restrictions have disrupted the schedule of theatrical releases.

Even if the movie was getting a digital premiere in India on July 9, we wouldn’t be able to watch it as India’s version of the OTT platform does not have a feature like Premiere Access. However, we have no clue why Disney has not extended the feature to India. Perhaps they feel that the users will not agree to pay an extra charge for a movie that they are going to watch in their homes. Premiere Access movies are made available for free by Disney after a few months, and that is when Disney+ Hotstar streams them in India.

Thus, Indian fans will have to wait at least for a few months before they get to see Black Widow, as it is unclear when it will arrive on Disney+ in India, while it is expected to release on October 8 internationally on the OTT platform.