Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over 'Black Widow' streaming release

The actress filed a lawsuit against Disney over a contract breach for releasing 'Black Widow' on Disney+.
July 29, 2021 4:52 p.m. EST
Jay Maidment/Disney Jay Maidment/Disney

Scarlett Johansson is suing The Walt Disney Company after the company released Black Widow on its streaming service Disney+ at the same time it debuted in movie theatres.

The actress filed a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that her contract was breached, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Johansson claims that her agreement with Marvel Entertainment, owned by Disney, guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release for the film and her salary was reportedly based largely on the box office performance.

Johansson is now taking Disney to court because her contract likely made no stipulation to include streaming revenue for Black Widow on Disney+, which cost $30 to rent on the streaming service.

"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 said, according to the outlet.

In her lawsuit, Johansson states that she tried to renegotiate ahead of Black Widow's opening and claims that the studio was unresponsive.

“Disney chose to placate Wall Street investors and pad its bottom line, rather than allow its subsidiary Marvel to comply with the agreement,” the suit read.

“To know one’s surprise, Disney's breach of the agreement successfully pulled millions of fans away from the theatres and toward its Disney + streaming service,” it continued.

In a statement to CNBC, one of Johansson's representatives, John Berlinski, said that it was no secret that Disney was releasing films directly to Disney+ to increase subscribers and boost the company's stock price while hiding behind COVID-19 as a pretext to take those actions.

“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,” Berlinski added. “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.”

Black Widow made $158 million during its first three weeks in theatres and Disney reported that it made $60 million in sales from Disney+ during its opening weekend.

Disney has not responded to Johansson's lawsuit as of this writing.

 

BEFORE YOU GO: Scarlett Johansson reportedly expecting a baby with Colin Jost

[video_embed id='2236717']BEFORE YOU GO: Scarlett Johansson reportedly expecting a baby with Colin Jost[/video_embed]


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