Disney’s brutal response to Scarlett Johansson suggests ugly legal fight

Disney’s response to Scarlett Johansson’s trial on Black WidowThe streaming release has fans predicting a gruesome legal fight between the actress and House of Mouse.

Marvel’s latest blockbuster didn’t perform well after a successful first weekend at the box office and Johansson is suing Disney over it.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Johansson’s legal team alleges the star’s contract was broken when the studio aired the film concurrent with its theatrical release.

Johansson’s attorneys claim that this affected ticket sales for the film’s theatrical release, thereby affecting the star’s pay who they said was linked to Black Widowthe box office performance of.

“Disney intentionally induced Marvel to break the deal, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from taking full advantage of her market with Marvel,” the lawsuit says, per Variety.

The film premiered simultaneously on Disney +, for $ 30, and in theaters earlier in July.

Despite setting a box office record for releases during the pandemic, totaling $ 218 million in its first weekend and pulling in $ 60 million on the streamer, ticket sales subsequently declined sharply.

The film currently grosses $ 319 million worldwide, making it one of the lowest grossing Marvel films of all time.

Johansson’s attorney, John Berlinski of Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, said in a statement: “It’s no secret that Disney is releasing movies like Black Widow directly on Disney + to increase the number of subscribers and thus increase the company’s share price – and that it is hiding behind COVID-19 as a pretext to do so.

“But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of his films in pursuing this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we can’t wait to prove it in court. This surely won’t be the last case Hollywood talent stands up to. . to Disney and clarifies that whatever the company may claim, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts. “

Disney responded with a blunt statement, calling Johansson’s trial “explosive,” suggesting the studio had no plans to back down.

“There is no merit in this filing,” Disney said in an unusually blunt statement. “The lawsuit is particularly sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “

The Disney spokesperson continued, by Deadline: “Disney has fully honored Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney + with Premier Access has dramatically improved her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $ 20 million she has received to date. “

Disney’s response shocked many, with some criticizing the studio on social media.

“If Disney can do that to a big name Scarlett Johansson, imagine what they are able to do to creators / actors with a lot less power and money,” film producer Mallory Yu tweeted. has implications to this breach of contract beyond ScarJo itself, or even the convenience (and security) of home streaming. “

She added: “As has been pointed out: Media companies like Disney have a long history of contracts that prioritize corporate profits over creator equity. The demand for streaming options is not going to go away. , so what effects will this matter have on the future / current contract negotiations? “

While another Twitter account, which focuses on legal content, tweeted: “When someone says you’ve broken a contract and you start talking about global pandemics, you’ve been in breach of that contract 100%. “