Scarlett Johansson has filed a lawsuit against Disney for breach of contract after Black Widow was released on Disney+ the same day it was released in theaters.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Johansson, who plays the popular Marvel superhero, alleged in the suit she filed on Thursday that her contract was breached when Disney released the movie on its streaming service on the same day as its theatrical debut, despite her contract with Marvel Entertainment guaranteeing that it would premiere exclusively in theaters. She also said that a large portion of her salary was based on the movie's box office performance.
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Sources closer to the lawsuit said the move to release the film both in theaters and the streaming service, behind a Premiere Access paywall no less, cost her more than $50 million.
"Disney intentionally induced Marvel's breach of agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel," the suit said.
Johansson's complaint stated that her representatives attempted to renegotiate her contract after learning that Black Widow, which is her ninth and final Marvel film, would be released both in theaters and on Disney+ as a Premiere Access title, but Disney and Marvel were "unresponsive" to such discussions, according to WSJ.
The complaint also stated that even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the movie industry to bring new films to streaming services, Johansson was concerned that Black Widow would end up on Disney+ as part of a wide release, and she sought assurance from Marvel through her representatives that the movie would be a theatrical-only release.
According to a March 2019 email included in the lawsuit, Marvel Chief Counsel Dave Galluzzi told Johansson's representatives there would need to be discussions should plans for the movie's distribution change as the deal is based on a series of (very large) box office bonuses.
During its July 9 opening weekend, Black Widow grossed over $80 million in the box office and $78 million overseas, surpassing F9 as the biggest movie of 2021 so far. One week later, however, Space Jam: A New Legacy knocked it down to second place, which wrought the anger of movie theater owners nationwide.
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