Black widow

• Black Widow

  A film made by Marvel Studios, a subsidiary of Disney
• Marvel Studios


  • Makes films, TV shows, animations, and music
  • Has around 500 employees
• Disney

  • Parent company of Marvel Studios
  • One of the biggest film companies in the world
  • Has around 230,000 employees worldwide
• Disney bought Marvel Studios in 2009 for $4 billion
• Black Widow had a production budget of around $200 million
• Black Widow likely had an additional $200 million spent on marketing and distribution, making the total cost around $400 million
• Black Widow is one of the most expensive films Marvel has ever made
• Development of Black Widow film

  1. Rights bought by Lionsgate in 2004

  2. Lionsgate shelved project due to poor performance of other female-led films

  3. Rights reverted to Marvel in 2006/2007

  4. Marvel decided to make film due to rise of female empowerment in media
• Scarlett Johansson

  • Played Black Widow in previous Marvel films
  • Advocated for a female director for Black Widow
  • Helped bring in pre-sold audience of her fans
• Kate Shortland

  • Directed Black Widow
  • Researched female-led action films to inspire the film
• Black Widow production took 6 months
• Filming locations for Black Widow

  1. Norway

  2. Budapest

  3. Morocco

  4. Pinewood Studios

  5. Atlanta, Georgia
• Camera equipment used

  • Sony Venice cameras
  • Panavision Millennium DXL2 cameras
  • Phantom Flex 4K cameras
  • Panavision Primo 70 series lenses
  • Red Helium cameras
• The camera crew alone had 300 people working on Black Widow
• Visual effects for Black Widow

  1. Digital Domain produced 320 VFX shots

  2. Trickster helped with digital effects on Taskmaster's mask and blue veil
• Over 1,000 staff were credited for visual effects work on Black Widow
• Music and soundtrack

  • Disney purchased rights to mainstream songs
  • 118-person orchestra and 60-person choir recorded original music
• Test screenings for Black Widow

  1. Audiences felt some shots of Scarlett Johansson in underwear were misogynistic, so those scenes were cut

  2. Audiences wanted to see more of the chemistry between Yelena and Natasha, so additional scenes were filmed
• Casting choices

  • Scarlett Johansson to bring in pre-sold audience
  • Florence Pugh to bring in British audience
  • David Harbour from Stranger Things to bring in his fanbase
  • Other familiar stars like Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, and William Hurt
• Vertically integrated company

  A company that owns its entire supply chain, from production to distribution
• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures was the distributor for Black Widow
• Black Widow was announced at the San Diego Comic Con

  2019
• The intention was to release the film in May 2020 but it had to be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Marketing campaign for Black Widow

  1. Used posters and trailers focused on Black Widow's black costume and symbol

  2. When the film was delayed, they restarted the marketing campaign using a white costume and focusing on Black Widow's legacy as an Avenger
• The new trailer released on YouTube got 70 million views in the first 24 hours
• Disney released a trailer for Black Widow during the Super Bowl ad break
• Other marketing by Disney

  • ESPN documentary on Scarlett Johansson's stunt double
  • Marvel Studios Legends TV episode on Black Widow
• The cast and crew promoted the film through chat shows, radio, magazines, and social media
• Marvel released comic books and graphic novels based on Black Widow to promote the film
• Disney put up billboards featuring real audience tweets about the film
• The fictional character Natasha Romanoff has her own social media profiles
• Disney has the power to strike many deals and create synergies with companies like Hasbro and Funko
• Global premiere fan event

  1. Different cast members attended premieres in different countries

  2. Scarlett Johansson recorded a message for all premieres
• Black Widow was released simultaneously in cinemas and on Disney+ with Premier Access
• Scarlett Johansson was unhappy with the simultaneous streaming release


  She sued Disney for breach of contract and loss of earnings
• Black Widow made $320 million at the box office and $60 million on Disney+ in the first weekend
• Black Widow was released in over 4,100 cinemas in the US, including 375 IMAX, 1,500 3D, and 275 other formats
• Black Widow is scheduled to be released on digital, Blu-ray, and DVD in August 2021, and later on Disney+ for all subscribers