Scarlett Johansson sues Disney over Black Widow streaming release, saying it cost her millions
- Johansson’s lawsuit said dual release strategy for ‘Black Widow’ in early July reduced her compensation
- Disney says ‘no merit’ to lawsuit, which has ‘callous disregard’ for the global effects of the pandemic
Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over its decision to release superhero movie Black Widow on streaming at the same time as in cinemas, alleging a breach of contract which cost the star millions of dollars.
Johansson, one of Hollywood’s biggest and top-paid stars, was entitled to a percentage of box office receipts from the much-anticipated Marvel film, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday at Los Angeles Superior Court.
The film was originally due for a big-screen release last year, but was delayed multiple times due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was eventually released this month simultaneously in movie theatres and on Disney+.
Box office analysts have cited the film’s streaming debut as a major factor in a lacklustre – by Marvel film standards – release for a film that has grossed just over US$150 million in domestic cinemas in three weeks.
“It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney+ 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,” Johansson’s lawyer John Berlinski said in a statement.
“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 honour its contracts,” he added.
