Scarlett Johansson is suing the Walt Disney Co. over its streaming release of B次元官网网址淏lack Widow,B次元官网网址� which she said breached her contract and deprived her of potential earnings.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday morning in Los Angeles Superior Court, the B次元官网网址淏lack WidowB次元官网网址� star and executive producer said her contract guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news of the lawsuit.
JohanssonB次元官网网址檚 potential earnings were tied to the box office performance of the film, which the company released simultaneously in theaters and on its streaming service Disney+ for a $30 rental.
B次元官网网址淚n the months leading up to this lawsuit, Ms. Johansson gave Disney and Marvel every opportunity to right their wrong and make good on MarvelB次元官网网址檚 promise,B次元官网网址� the lawsuit said. B次元官网网址淒isney intentionally induced MarvelB次元官网网址檚 breach of the Agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel.B次元官网网址�
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After its release was because of COVID-19, B次元官网网址淏lack WidowB次元官网网址� debuted to a three weeks ago, but theatrical grosses after that. In its second weekend in release, the National Association of Theater Owners issued a rare statement criticizing the strategy asserting that simultaneous release lends itself only to lost profits and higher quality piracy.
Once taboo, hybrid theatrical and streaming releases have become more normal for many of the biggest studios during the pandemic, with each adopting its own unique strategy. This weekend, Disney is employing the same strategy with B次元官网网址淛ungle Cruise,B次元官网网址� and next weekend Warner Bros. big budget B次元官网网址淭he Suicide SquadB次元官网网址� opens both in theaters and on HBO Max.
The revised hybrid release strategies over the 16 months have occasionally led to public spats from , but stars, and financiers who are unhappy with the potential lost revenues and the alleged unilateral decision-making involved.
The WSJ said Warner Media, for instance, paid over $200 million in B次元官网网址渁mended agreementsB次元官网网址� with talent over its decision to .
But none have been as public as JohanssonB次元官网网址檚 lawsuit. The actor, who has been in nine Marvel movies going back to 2010B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淚ron Man 2,B次元官网网址� quickly became a trending topic on Twitter on Thursday after news of the suit broke.
B次元官网网址擫indsey Bahr And Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
