Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney

 

CREDIT: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Scarlett Johansson has filed a lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company over the streaming release of Black Widow.

The lawsuit claims Disney breached contract when Black Widow debuted in theatres and on Disney+ simultaneously.

The lawsuit also claims that the day-and-date release model surrendered potential box office revenue in exchange for new subscribers on the streaming platform.

Scarlett's attorney John Berlinski has commented on the issue saying, "It's no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company's stock price - and that it's hiding behind COVID-19 as a pretext to do so."

CREDIT: Mike Blake/Reuters

"But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we look forward to proving as much in court. This will surely not be the last case where Hollywood talent stands up to Disney and makes it clear that, whatever the company may pretend, it has a legal obligation to honour its contracts."

A spokesperson for Disney has also released a statement.

"There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson's contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date."

CREDIT: yahoo.com

After many years of male-dominated MCU films, Scarlett was finally blessed with the headline of Natasha Romanoff's own film. 

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, delayed the release of the film several times before it was finally released in July 2021. 

According to the lawsuit filed by Scarlett, she was entitled to a wide theatrical released for Black Widow when she teamed up with Marvel.

The contract largely predicted Scarlett's pay would be "based largely on 'box office' receipts." 

Disney announced in March that Black Widow would premiere in theatres and on Disney+ for a premium $30 fee. 

CREDIT: Leon Bennett/Getty Images

The lawsuit filed by Scarlett claims that the above decision "was made at least in part because Disney saw the opportunity to promote its flagship subscription streaming service" and "thereby attracting new paying monthly subscribers, retaining existing ones."

The lawsuit also claimed, "Disney intentionally induced Marvel's breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realising the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel."

Black Widow successfully opened to $80 million at the domestic box office, as well as $78 million abroad. 

Disney reported the film earned $60 million via Disney+. Ticket sales then dropped 68% in the film's second week. The global box office haul is now sitting at $319 million. This makes the film one of the lowest-grossing Marvel films ever.

The lawsuit reads, "Just as these news outlets predicted and Ms. Johansson feared, the Picture's box office receipts for its opening weekend were significantly below the opening-weekend performance of Marvel's previous films. In short, Disney's strategy to lure viewers away from the theatres and toward Disney+ worked."

Scarlett alleges she "gave Disney and Marvel every opportunity to right their wrong and make good on Marvel's promise. Unlike numerous other movie studios, however...Disney and Marvel largely ignored Ms. Johansson, essentially forcing her to file this action."