Los Angeles/New York, Jul 29 (EFE) – Actress Scarlett Johansson, star of the latest Marvel movie Black Widow (2021), sued Disney on Thursday for breach of contract due to the simultaneous release of the film in theaters and on the Disney+ digital platform.
Johansson, who filed the complaint in a Los Angeles (USA) court, pointed out that the agreement she reached with Disney for the filming of Black Widow guaranteed a release exclusively in theaters and that her salary would be based in large part on the film’s box office profits.
The actress and producer of Black Widow noted that there was “a promise” from Marvel that the film would have a theatrical-only release.
“Disney was well aware of this promise, but still instructed Marvel to violate its commitment and instead release the film on Disney+ the same day it hit theaters,” the lawsuit states.
“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of contract, without justification, to prevent Johansson from earning the full benefits of her agreement with Marvel,” the complaint adds.
Black Widow is the first film Marvel has released since the pandemic began and is the film with which Johansson says goodbye to her Natasha character after more than a decade playing her in this popular superhero saga.
Directed by Cate Shortland and starring Florence Pugh alongside Johansson, Black Widow made $80 million in its opening weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, making it the best big-screen release since the pandemic began.
Black Widow banked another $78 million in the international market.
In addition, Disney detailed, in a highly unusual and Hollywood-talked-about gesture, that it had earned an additional $60 million from sales on the Disney+ platform in its first weekend.
Disney+ subscribers had to pay an extra $30 to watch Black Widow via streaming.
This suit issued by Johansson could be a trend-setter in the entertainment world at a time when large companies in the industry are turning to streaming services in order to achieve greater growth.
The move implies major changes for actors and producers, who for their part want to ensure that the development of digital platforms does not come at their expense.
“This surely won’t be the last case where Hollywood artists stand up to Disney and make it clear that whatever the company intends to do, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts,” John Berlinski, one of Johansson’s lawyers, told The Wall Street Journal.
Disney began releasing its movies on Disney+ and in theaters simultaneously with the pandemic when theaters were closed or had limited capacity.
This weekend it will release in theaters and streaming another of its big bets for this summer: Jungle Cruise, with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt as stars. EFE
Text and photos courtesy of EFE
Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards
