Disney+ Premier Access Adds $60 Million to Black Widow's Opening Weekend

After nearly a year of testing out its Premier Access streaming video rental model, Disney+ finally has something to celebrate. Black Widow, the highly-anticipated Marvel movie that was delayed for more than a year due to Covid-19, has brought in more than $60 million in global streaming video alone after premiering simultaneously in theaters and on streaming over the weekend, Disney said. Not only that, but the Scarlett Johansson-led film also broke records at the box office. Black Widow collected $80 million in domestic box office numbers, making it the largest domestic box office opening since the pandemic began and the largest domestic opening weekend since the release of Disney’s Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019. The title also brought in $78 million at the international box office. The Entertainment Industry’s Next Act: Balancing Box-Office Releases and Streaming Together, it’s a $215 million opening weekend success story for the company that has, like other media giants, been reevaluating its film release strategy as the country continues to open back up as vaccination rates climb. And while Disney did not share the exact number of subscribing households that opted to rent the title, the $60 million figure means that roughly 2 million Disney+ accounts opted to shell out $30 each to watch the new release as a Premier Access title (however, it is unclear whether the film was given a different price point in other markets). “Once again, Marvel has delivered an exceptional film to the delight of fans worldwide with Black Widow achieving numerous milestones in the current marketplace,” Kareem Daniel, the chairman of Disney’s media and entertainment distribution arm, said in a statement. “Black Widow’s strong performance this weekend affirms our flexible distribution strategy of making franchise films available in theaters for a true cinematic experience and, as Covid concerns continue globally, providing choice to consumers who prefer to watch at home on Disney+.” First Premier Access numbers Disney+, which cleared 100 million subscribers in March of this year, has previously been mum on financial specifics around its fledgling Premier Access model, which allows subscribers to pay an additional fee to watch a new film release via streaming instead of heading to theaters. The streamer first attempted the experiment last year with the live-action remake of Mulan, which after being delayed three times due to the pandemic was released via Premier Access in September. Aside from Disney CEO Bob Chapek saying the company was “very pleased” with the results, though, the company had not shared any more details about the extent of the success of the strategy. More recently, Disney+ made Raya and the Last Dragon available via Premier Access last March. The eye-popping figures for Disney also highlight the power of franchises when it comes to attracting fans both back to theater seats and to streaming services, an approach that rival media giants are looking to replicate. Disney, for its part, is leaning heavily on its Marvel and Star Wars franchises to serve as the backbone for its growing original content slate, with several more titles in the works. Fans are certainly interested: to date, Disney says, Marvel fans have watched nearly 3 billion hours of programming on Disney+.