Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney for 'BLACK WIDOW' Being Released on Disney Plus, Alleging Contract Breach

Kapanlagi.com - Disney's decision to release the film BLACK WIDOW in theaters and on Disney Plus via streaming has triggered a lawsuit from Scarlett Johansson. As KLovers know, Scarlett is the lead actress in the film.

According to Variety.com, the lawsuit was filed on Thursday (29/7) in the Los Angeles Superior Court. According to Scarlett's lawyer, there was a breach of contract when Disney did not exclusively release the film in theaters.

"Disney intentionally made Marvel breach the agreement, without justification, to prevent Scarlett from fully benefiting from her negotiation with Marvel," the lawsuit reads, as reported by the same source.

In their contract, it is written that a portion of Scarlett Johansson's bonus is related to box office ticket sales. The decision to release BLACK WIDOW on Disney Plus certainly caused a sharp decline in ticket sales.

Yes, according to Variety, on July 9, BLACK WIDOW set a box office record in the pandemic era with its debut reaching $80 million in North America and earning an additional $78 million internationally. Ticket sales sharply declined in the following weeks.

1. Loss of $50 Million

Scarlett Johansson © TPG Images

As of now (31/7), the revenue from this film has reached $319 million globally. This puts BLACK WIDOW as the lowest-grossing Marvel film of all time. According to The Wall Street Journal, because of this, Scarlett lost a $50 million bonus.

According to Scarlett's lawyer, John Berlinski, Disney's decision to release Marvel films on Disney Plus is a good strategy to increase the company's stock price. However, it is detrimental to the actors and actresses.

"It's no secret that Disney releases films like BLACK WIDOW directly on Disney Plus to increase subscribers and thus increase the company's stock price, while using Covid-19 as an excuse to do so," he said.

"But ignoring the contracts of artists who are responsible for the success of their films as a continuation of this petty strategy violates their rights, and we hope to prove it in court," John concluded.

(kpl/tdr)