Scarlett Johansson Is Suing Disney Over Simultaneous Release Of 'Black Widow' To Streaming Services
Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over an alleged breach of contract related to Disney's decision to simultaneously release the film on Disney+ and in theaters. According to the suit, the simultaneous release, done as part of an experimental new release tactic to get films out during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in potentially millions of dollars of lost income for her, as her contract had potential bonuses tied to the film's box office performance.
Disney released its harsh opinion on the lawsuit in a surprisingly combative statement, implying the lawsuit was meritless, greedy, and insensitive given the realities of the pandemic.
"There is no merit whatsoever to this filing," Disney wrote “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Disney's stated point of view on the lawsuit has its merits. According to the company, Johansson has already made $20 million from the film, and "the release of ‘Black Widow’ on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation." Disney did not clarify if they had renegotiated Johansson's contract after they announced in March their plans to simultaneously release their films to streaming services.
Johansson's lawyer, John Berlinski, publically countered Disney's defense, saying to Variety, "It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like ‘Black Widow’ directly onto Disney Plus 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." Sources close to Johansson have estimated the actress may have missed roughly $50 million in bonuses, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"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 honor its contract."
Black Widow did set a pandemic-era box office record of $319 million, but that number is significantly less than other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which have generally raked in $1 billion, making it look like it will be the lowest-grossing Marvel film.