David Harbour is definitely the type of guy that likes to say what’s on his mind and doesn’t really think of (or care about) the repercussions of his words. Just recently, he chalked up the failure of his “Hellboy” reboot to the hate coming from Guillermo del Toro fans. That’s after he also talked about how the film was unfairly compared to Marvel films. Needless to say, Harbour is always going to say what he’s thinking, and that’s especially true when it comes to his upcoming superhero film, “Black Widow.”
READ MORE: David Harbour Thinks The ‘Hellboy’ Reboot Failed Due To Guillermo Del Toro Fans
In a recent Instagram Q&A (via the Independent), the “Stranger Things” actor talked about his upcoming Marvel Studios superhero film and offered his suggestion on how Disney should release the project, given that theaters are shut down due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
“My publisher also sent me an email saying ‘Black Widow’ had been postponed and I think I replied ‘shocker,’” Harbour said. “Wouldn’t it be fun if we all could just stream it? But that’s above my pay grade.”
READ MORE: Disney Pulls ‘Black Widow’ From Release Schedule
Now, it goes without saying that Harbour offering up the idea that it would “be fun” if Disney decided to release the film on VOD, forgoing a full theatrical release, is not a confirmation that “Black Widow” is actually going to skip theaters. In fact, it’s just an actor talking about the possibility. Of course, when an idea like this gets brought up, fans tend to run with it and suddenly it’s assumed that this is the truth.
But let’s be honest— Disney would be crazy to release “Black Widow” straight to VOD. The film, like many of the MCU films, probably cost somewhere in the $150 million to $200 million range, and the studio is obviously hoping for $1 billion in theatrical revenue. That’s a lot of money to just write off in hopes that it will drive some Disney+ subscriptions. Plus, we all know that if “Black Widow” went to VOD or Disney+, within an hour, the film would be available to pirate in full 4K.
With Disney and the rest of Hollywood suffering the way they are now with the COVID-19 pandemic, the studio needs “Black Widow” to make a ton of money, and the theaters need Disney to release it on the big screen to help make up for the weeks that the doors have been closed. So, yes, it would “be fun” for “Black Widow” to just hit streaming, but it’s likely not going to happen.