Scarlett Johansson Files Lawsuit Against Disney Over ‘Black Widow’ Release
Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Co. on Thursday, July 29th, alleging that her contract was breached when Black Widow was released on Disney+.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit states that Black Widow had been guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release when Johansson signed her deal with Marvel.
The suit alleges that Disney knew that streaming the blockbuster would dissuade attendance from moviegoers, including repeat moviegoers, and it did so anyway knowingly and intentionally.
The complaint says that Disney’s actions “not only increased the value of Disney+, but it also intentionally saved Marvel (and thereby itself) what Marvel[] itself referred to as ‘very large box office bonuses’ that Marvel otherwise would have been obligated to pay Ms. Johnasson.”
In other words, Scarlett says her salary was tied to how well the film performed at the box office. But, the actress claims, releasing the film on Disney+ meant fewer people were inclined to go to a movie theater.