Black Widow is out everywhere, except for Disney+ Hotstar in India

‘Black Widow will be available at a later date to all Disney+ Hotstar subscribers’ says the streaming service

Marvel’s much-awaited movie Black Widow has finally been released in theatres, as well as on Disney+ with Premier Access in most Disney+ markets globally... except for India.

With a second wave of Covid-19 virus currently causing chaos in the country, the release date for Scarlett Johansson’s action-adventure film has been delayed.

According to reports, the movie isn’t expected to release on India’s Disney+ Hotstar streaming service for another three months. Premier access – where Disney+ members pay $30 (Rs. 2,200) or equivalent for every premium title, in addition to the monthly subscription – is not available on Disney+ Hotstar.

When The Independent reached out to the streaming service for an exact release date, they responded with the somewhat vague statement: “Hi! Black Widow will be available at a later date to all Disney+ Hotstar subscribers. Watch this space for updates!”

It is speculated that Disney+ isn’t offering Premier Access in India on the grounds that the company thinks people won’t pay for it.

According to Gadgets 360, the movie might be released on the platform on 6 October, after the film leaves Premier Access.

Releasing the film in the theatre also seems like a far-fetched option due to concerns over the Delta plus variant and an inevitable third wave.

Many states are still debating on whether or not to ease the restrictions on cinemas, with local news reporting that some might open later this month with 50 per cent capacity.

In Black Widow, Johansson returns as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, to confront the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises.

Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy, and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey gave the movie three out of five stars, calling it a film that “features some of the best fight choreography of the entire MCU”.