Disney pushes back 'Black Widow' release
Disney has postponed the hotly anticipated release of "Black Widow" amid fears surrounding the novel coronavirus.
The film, which was due to hit theaters May 1, stars Scarlett Johansson as the female superhero known from "Avengers," and also features recent Oscar-nominee Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz.
Disney has not announced a new release date for the standalone film.
The company also pushed back releases for "The Personal History of David Copperfield," starring Dev Patel, and "Woman in the Window," starring Amy Adams, but has not announced when they will hit theaters either.
There are more than 196,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, and more than 5,800 nationally, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Social distancing has been recommended by officials as an important way to stop community spread, and as a result, box office totals last weekend were at their lowest in at least 20 years, according to The Associated Press. The AP also reported that more people went to the movies after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Over the past few days, movie theaters have been ordered to close in cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles and New York City.
Walt Disney previously delayed the release of its live-action version of "Mulan" last week, while Universal delayed "F9" -- its latest "Fast and the Furious" installment. The James Bond film, "No Time to Die," has also been delayed until April.
What to know about coronavirus:
- How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
- What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms
- Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: Coronavirus map
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