The movie set a box office history for the Covid-19 pandemic, earning $218m (£157m) in its opening weekend. But box office releases then fell sharply, and Ms. Johansson claims she was stripped of potential profits.
In acknowledgment, Disney said it had “fully complied” with her contract and that her claim had “no merit whatsoever.” After appearances in multiple Marvel movies, the film was the first solo outing for Johansson’s Black Widow character.
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Johansson criticizes the sexualization of Black Widow
Ms. Johansson said she was encouraged by Marvel Studios, which Disney holds, that Black Widow would be a “theatrical release.” She said she had assumed this to indicate a “window” of time would pass before it would be streamed – a term traditionally served 90 days.
During the pandemic, several Hollywood studios opted to bypass cinemas, many of which had been closed, and release their films online instead. Now that most cinemas have reopened, Disney and fellow giant Warner Bros have chosen to maintain a dual release strategy for their major films.
Disney countered by alleging that the dual release plan had “significantly enhanced strength to earn further compensation, additionally on the $20m she has got to date”. In a strongly-worded statement, it said her legal action was “unfortunate and distressing in its heartless disregard for the horrific and extended global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic”. Scarlett Johansson has registered a lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company for simultaneously releasing Black Widow in theatres and on Disney+. She alleged that her contract was breached.
Scarlett Johansson has been creating headlines for many reasons lately. First, the actress is once again in the headlines for suing The Walt Disney Company, which holds Marvel Studios, the producer of her film, Black Widow. She has claimed that this enormous media company has breached her agreement by simultaneously releasing the film in cinemas and the OTT platform, Disney+. The Marvel film has been propelled in the US and a few other nations so far.
According to Scarlett, her contract with Disney-owned Marvel Entertainment guaranteed that the film would exclusively be released in theatres. However, since her salary was based on the movie’s box-office performance, the actress’s attorneys also claimed that the movement of delivering the film just in theatres discouraged ticket sales. In March, the Walt Disney Company announced that the Avengers spinoff would premiere simultaneously on Disney+ and the big screen, as the movie theatre industry was rebounding from Covid-19 closures and capacity restrictions.
As per reports by Variety, The Walt Disney Company has slammed Scarlett Johansson for filing the lawsuit and disregarding ‘the horrific and extended global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic’ that affected Black Widows release. “There is no virtue whatsoever to this filing,” Disney said in a comment and added, “The lawsuit is unfortunate and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
About Black Widow
Scarlett Johansson strikes the lead role of Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, a Russian spy-turned-Avenger. Natasha has been viewed in many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films for Iron Man 2, released in 2010. Black Widow is Natasha Romanoff’s leading standalone film where she challenges her dark past. She is tracked by a lethal force and beat it. In addition, she has to join with an unlikely combination of spies from her times before she grew as an Avenger. Florence Pugh essays the character of her sister Yelena in the film. Helmed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige, Black Widow is released on Disney+Hotstar in India. However, the release date of the movie has not been declared yet.
