Actress Scarlett Johansson, who plays Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has sued Disney, which owns Marvel Studios, for breaching her contract by releasing the film in theatres and on Disney+ simultaneously in the United States and a few other countries. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news.
According to the WSJ, the case was filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. According to Johansson, her deal with Disney-owned Marvel Entertainment included a promise that the film would be distributed solely in theatres and that her salary would be determined by the film's box office performance.
“Disney purposefully induced Marvel's breach of the agreement, without justification,” according to the lawsuit, “in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from receiving the full benefit of her agreement with Marvel.”
The complaint has gotten a response from Disney. “There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” Variety cited a spokesman as saying. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing because it shows a callous disregard for the COVID-19 pandemic's severe and long-term worldwide consequences.”
Following the popularity of Mulan, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Cruella de Vil, Disney launched Black Widow on Premiere Access, its PVOD programme. This came after Warner Bros. declared in late 2020 that every movie released in 2021 will be a hybrid release on the same day.
Disney+ subscribers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and a few other countries could pay $30 or equivalent to watch the film at home with Premier Access.
This was on top of a 158 million dollar box office, which was by far the best for a pandemic film. Premier Access may have paid off handsomely for Disney, but Johansson clearly believes it was unfair to her.
Black Widow will premiere on Disney Plus Hotstar in India. There is no set date for the release.