Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney Over ‘Black Widow’ Release
Live, laugh, love, lawsuit. “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson used Karen’s fourth-favorite L-word on July 29, suing Disney over its streaming of the Marvel superhero movie Black Widow at the time it was shown in cinemas on July 9. The star alleged that this deprived her of potential earnings and breached her contract. That has sparked a legal battle with Scarlett Johansson.
The star and executive producer claimed that in her lawsuit, her contract guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release and the dual release strategy had decreased her remuneration, which was partly based on the box-office performance of the movie. Before the pandemic, the movie was expected to get a huge amount at the box office.
“In the months leading up to this lawsuit, Ms. Johansson gave Disney and Marvel every opportunity to right their wrong and make good on Marvel’s promise,” the lawsuit reads.
“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,” the suit states.
Black Widow is Johansson’s first major film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Black Widow star declared that it’s her final appearance. According to the Wall Street Journal, the decision to put the film online cost Johansson more than $50 million.
Disney denies allegations
Disney gave a statement on Thursday that “there is no merit whatsoever to this filing” and “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 [€16.8 million] she has received to date.”
The lawsuit takes place at a crucial moment for Hollywood, because the pandemic has accelerated some trends at once. Streaming has become the focus of Hollywood while cinemas and the box office struggle to get things to normal after a pandemic devastated their businesses.
Disney made big waves when it announced that “Black Widow” would be debuted on Disney+ in March. The film had been delayed several times due to the pandemic. It was formerly set to be released in May of 2020.
Black Widow was released in movie theaters on July 9, and simultaneously, on the Disney+ streaming service for a $30 (approximately €25) charge.
On July 9, Black Widow set a pandemic box office record with $80 million openings in North America and $78 million overseas. It also earned $60 million on Disney Plus.
Ticket sales fell dramatically in the following weeks and are now at $319 million globally, making “Black Widow” one of the lowest-grossing Marvel films of all time.
The gross of “Black Widow” has plummeted since the movie was debuted in the middle of the MCU timeline. But if it was released in a non-pandemic time, it would definitely have a performance on par with its peers.
Previous Marvel movies have got an average of more than $100 million in ticket sales during their opening weekends and approximately $1 billion during their theatrical run.
The actress lawyer claims that Disney was releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and so promote the company’s stock price — and they take Covid-19 as an excuse. “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”, he said.
He also stated that “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 honor its contracts.”
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