Hollywood icon Scarlett Johansson announced earlier this week that she was filing a lawsuit against Disney over the hybrid release of Black Widow, her latest project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After Black Widow was delayed over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney, which owns Marvel Studios, released the film in theaters and on its Premier Access feature of Disney+.
Johansson and her attorneys take issue with the simultaneous release, alleging that her contract mandated a wide theatrical release of the film. Johansson further alleges that by releasing Black Widow on Disney+’s Premier Access, Disney cut into her profits from the film’s box office draw.
In documentation presented to the Los Angeles Superior Court, Johansson’s representatives say that the actress’s contract precludes a streaming release of Black Widow. Since part of Johansson’s salary is based on how well the film performs at the box office, the suit alleges that Disney saved money at Johansson’s expense by allowing Disney+ customers to stream the film.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal backs up Johansson’s version of events, suggesting that the starlet could have lost upwards of $50 million due to Disney’s decision to offer Black Widowthrough Premier Access.
Attorneys for Disney were quick to respond to Johansson’s suit, calling the allegations against the studio baseless. In a statement, Disney says that the studio is in full compliance with Johansson’s contract.
Representatives for the company say that Disney has already paid Johansson $20 million for her work on Black Widow and that the film’s release on Disney+ has enabled her to earn additional revenue.
The statement further says that Johansson’s suit is incredibly callous in nature as it does not consider the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Legal experts say that the key part of Johansson’s suit is the phrase “wide theatrical release.” Johansson alleges that part of her agreement with Marvel was that Black Widow would be released exclusively in movie theaters for 90 to 120 days. In the past, Johansson had expressed concern over Disney possibly releasing the film on a streaming service before releasing it in theaters.
In documents from 2019, David Galluzzi, Marvel Entertainment’s chief attorney, conceded to Johansson’s attorneys that any change in Black Widow’s release would have to be done with new terms due to the large bonuses Johansson could reap from the film’s box office performance.
In addition to violating Johansson’s contract, her attorneys also allege that Disney was motivated to release the film on Disney+ to give their streaming service a boost in subscribers.
Additionally, by releasing Black Widow simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+, the studio diminished Johansson’s profits while enriching their own revenue.
Johansson’s attorneys further allege that prior to the film’s premiere, they attempted to renegotiate Johansson’s contract to reflect the hybrid theatrical-streaming release. The documentation says that these entreaties were ignored by the studio.
Hybrid release models have come under fire from several Hollywood filmmakers, most notably The Dark KnightTrilogy’s director Christopher Nolan. In addition to Black Widow, Disney has also opted to release several of its biggest blockbusters on Disney+’s Premier Access.
Mulan and Cruella are among the most noteworthy examples of films that the studio released on the premium component of Disney+.
