1) List the companies involved in the creation of Black Widow. You may wish to use Black Widow's IMDB entry to help with this - see the company credits page - but the answers can also be found in the notes above.
Star Wars, Marvel's Cinematic Universe, DC Extended Universe
2) What is conglomerate ownership and how does it link to Black Widow?
Most major media companies are conglomerates that own a range of smaller companies (called subsidiaries). An example of this is Disney owning Marvel which has black widow as its 24th film.
4) How was Black Widow promoted to an audience? List at least three different methods used by the film's marketing campaign and why they were effective in promoting the film.
- The film used tweets from audience members to help promote the film
- Traditional methods such as posters and teaser trailers on TV and in cinema.
- Film trailers were released on YouTube and in cinemas.
5) What was the production budget for Black Widow and how much did it make at the box office?
Black Widow’s budget was $200m and it only made $379m at the worldwide box office due to the pandemic.
6) Would you consider Black Widow a successful Hollywood blockbuster? Why?
Black Widow as a Hollywood blockbuster cost $200m to make – far more than independent films. However, due to the impact of Covid-19 on cinemas and the film industry, the film only made $379m at the box office – much lower than similar Marvel films that usually make around $1 billion at the worldwide box office. So overall I think its a failure. A true blockbuster is extremely popular and brings in a lot of money.
7) Who regulates the film industry in the UK?
BBFC
8) What age rating was Black Widow given? Why?
8) What age rating was Black Widow given? Why?
Black Widow was given a 12A by the BBFC meaning no one under the age of 12 can see the film at the cinema unless accompanied by an adult this is because it had moderate violence and injury detail, although was not too graphic.
9) Read this feature on Marvel using a fan's tweet to help market the film. Why is audience interaction such an important aspect of modern film marketing?
It makes more fans want to spread the word of mouth which brings more attention towards the film.
10) What other interesting details can you pick out of the article about Black Widow marketing? For example, you may want to make a note of some statistics, ratings or how they used TikTok influencers to help promote the film.
The film has done quite well, receiving an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 92% viewer rating. With the debut of this film. Major TikTok influencers who typically cosplay as certain Disney characters have teamed up with Disney to promote the movie. It seems that even something a random person Tweets may become the highlight of a brand-new billboard.
