Disney has responded to a lawsuit filed by Scarlett Johansson over the decision to release Black Widow on Disney+ and in cinemas simultaneously after the film was held due to COVID.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Scarlett’s attorneys are alleging that her contract was breached when the studio decided not to release Black Widow in cinemas on its own, which they claim has impacted ticket sales.
“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” Disney responded in a statement, according to Variety who described the response as “unusually fiery.”
“The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The statement also revealed that Scarlett has already received (USD)$20 million for her role in the film and argued that “the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”
Back in March, Disney announced that several of its flicks, including Black Widow, Cruella and Jungle Cruise, would premiere on Disney+ at the same time that they hit cinemas, blaming the pandemic for this decision. The movies were made available to rent for $30 to Disney+ subscribers.
Johansson’s attorneys have estimated that the decision to release the film concurrently on Disney+ resulted in a loss of $50 million in bonuses for Scarlett.
“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realising the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,” the suit reads.
Black Widow has raked in $80 million in North America and an additional $78 million overseas, along with $60 million on Disney+ (all figures in USD).
Ticket sales steeply declined in the weeks after, and currently stand at $319 million globally, putting it on track to become one of the lowest-grossing Marvel movies of all time.
The National Association of Theatre Owners has stated that the simultaneous release of Black Widow in cinemas and on the streaming service “costs Disney money in revenue per viewer over the life of the film”.
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