'Black Widow' will hit Disney+ and theaters on the same day

Disney is backtracking on its plan to release Black Widow, the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in almost two years, only in theaters.

As with Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney+ subscribers will be able to watch it at home on the same day it hits cinemas. It will arrive on July 9th, a couple of months later than the previous May 7th release date. You'll need to shell out $30 for a Premier Access pass, though. The movie should eventually be available to all Disney+ members at no extra cost.

With many theaters still closed due to COVID-19 restrictions and parents having safety concerns about taking their families to the cinema, the plan makes sense if Disney doesn't want to delay the movie too much longer. Marvel shows on Disney+ tie into the movies, after all, so the company may want to keep the timeline on track as much as possible. Disney also announced that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will arrive on September 3rd, though that'll be in theaters only — at least for now.

Disney is also releasing Cruella, a live-action 101 Dalmatians spin-off starring Emma Stone, simultaneously on Disney+ and in theaters on May 28th, again with a Premier Access pass. Meanwhile, Pixar's Luca will be a Disney+ exclusive, at least in markets where the streaming service is available. That will start streaming on June 18th. Like Soul, it will be included through a regular Disney+ subscription.