Disney rejects ScarJo’s lawsuit over Black Widow streaming
LOS ANGELES – Scarlett Johansson, star of the Marvel superhero movie Black Widow, sued The Walt Disney Co on Thursday, alleging that the company breached her contract when it offered the movie on streaming at the same time it played in theatres.
Disney said there was “no merit” to the lawsuit, saying it had complied with her contract.
It added in a statement that the release of the movie on its streaming platform Disney+ had “significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the US$20 million (S$27 million) she has received to date”.
Johansson’s complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, argued that the dual release strategy of Black Widow had reduced her compensation, which was based partly on box office receipts from what was supposed to be an exclusive run in cinemas.
Black Widow opened on July 9 in theatres and for a US$30 charge on the Disney+ streaming service.
Disney has been testing the hybrid pattern for some films during the coronavirus pandemic as the company tried to boost its streaming service while many movie theatres around the world were closed.
Johansson’s lawsuit claims that Disney wanted to steer audiences toward Disney+, “where it could keep the revenues for itself while simultaneously growing the Disney+ subscriber base, a proven way to boost Disney’s stock price”.
“Second, Disney wanted to substantially devalue Ms Johansson’s agreement and thereby enrich itself.”
The suit seeks unspecified damages to be determined at trial.
The outcome could have broad ramifications in Hollywood as media companies try to build their streaming services by offering premium programming to lure subscribers.
The Disney statement said the lawsuit was “especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Black Widow pulled in US$80 million at North America box offices over its debut weekend and also generated US$60 million through Disney+ purchases, Disney said.
Johansson’s suit said her representatives approached Disney about resolving the issue but were “largely ignored”.
The US actress, who has played the titular Avenger in nine movies, topped the Forbes magazine list of the world’s highest-paid actresses in 2018 and 2019. Her pre-tax earnings totalled US$56 million from June 2018 to June 2019. - REUTERS
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