Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney As Disney Streams Black Widow on Disney+

By
Shawn Ambrose
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With online streaming platforms offering thousands of movies at a click of a few buttons, fewer and fewer people are heading to the cinema to catch the latest blockbusters.

While filmmakers may not be too happy about this consumer behavioural shift, it has certainly helped to satiate our appetite for the film during the COVID-19 pandemic, where many theatres across the globe have been forced to shutter.

Now that theatres have started to reopen, some stars don’t want their movies anywhere near online streaming platforms, at least at the beginning.

Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney As Disney Streams Black Widow on Disney+

American actress Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney for allegedly breaching her contract by releasing her latest movie on its streaming service, Disney+.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday (29 July) in Los Angeles, claims that there was an agreement between Disney and Johansson that “Black Widow” would only be released in theatres.

Why is this a problem?

Well, Johansson was under the impression that her salary would be chiefly based on earnings from the box office and contends that this was agreed upon with Marvel and Disney.

If true, it was a wise financial decision, as Marvel has raked in nearly US$23 billion at the global box office since 2008.

But yesterday, to Johansson’s displeasure, the film debuted both in theatres and on Disney+.

As her suit states: “To maximize these receipts, and thereby protect her financial interests, Ms. Johansson extracted a promise from Marvel that the release of the picture would be a ‘theatrical release,'”.

“As Ms. Johansson, Disney, Marvel, and most everyone else in Hollywood knows, a ‘theatrical release’ is a release that is exclusive to movie theatres. Disney was well aware of this promise, but nonetheless directed Marvel to violate its pledge and instead release the picture on the Disney+ streaming service the very same day it was released in movie theatres.”

Disney Responds, Reveals Johansson’s Earnings For Movie

Disney rubbished the allegation, saying “there is no merit whatsoever to this filing”.

In denying the allegations, Disney also revealed how much Johansson earned for her role in “Black Widow”, and it certainly wasn’t a small figure.

“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 $20 million she has received to date,” a Disney spokesman said.

It added that the suit is “especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

One of Johansson’s attorney’s however, said that Disney is releasing films like “Black Widow” on its streaming service to boost their subscriber count, and is using the pandemic “as a pretext” to do so.

Film Reportedly Made US$60 Million Globally From Disney+

Disney made not be wrong about the additional compensation, though, as the movie was a huge success both in theatres and on Disney+.

In fact, “Black Widow” reportedly made US$60 million globally through Disney+ alone. It was made available to subscribers for an extra charge of US$29.99.

In total, the movie grossed over US$319 million worldwide, breaking many pandemic box officer records and becoming the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2021.

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Featured Image: The Walt Disney Company 

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]