Weeks after Black Widow had its official release, actor Scarlett Johansson who stars in the movie as Natasha Romanoff has decided to sue the Walt Disney company. The legal case was reportedly filed on July 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court by Johansson and her legal team.
The legal team alleged that this action was taken by Johansson because Disney ignored “the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films.” After the release of the standalone Marvel film, there has been a number of claims that suggest the fault of Disney on Black Widow controversy.
It’s true that Black Widow initially received critical acclaim as well as major love from fans. The movie also took the No. 1 spot in the Box Office right after its release for the first week. However, it experienced the worst “collapse” in MCU history. In its second week, the film experienced more than 60% of decrements in its profits.
ScarJo And Disney Black Widow Controversy: Details
- Black Widow was officially released globally on July 9. The standalone Natasha Romanoff film was long-awaited and highly anticipated. This resulted in a huge hit for the movie.
- However, the Walt Disney Company also released the movie immediately on their streaming platform and made it available out of theatres.
- Theatre owners who have been observing this largely blamed Disney for their actions. They claimed that this led to the crash in the views of Black Widow in theatres which also eventually led to the fall in the Box Office.
- Black Widow soon fell down to No. 2 as it was replaced in the second week. Acting on the tissue, Scarlett Johansson decided to fight this legally with the Disney company.
- Johansson’s legal team stated that her contract was breached when Disney released Black Widow on its streaming service immediately at the same time as its debut in theaters. This resulted in a lawsuit being filed against the company.
- This action of Disney was questioned since the ongoing pandemic has already disrupted the theatre market itself.
- “Why would Disney forgo hundreds of millions of dollars in box office receipts by releasing the Picture in theaters at a time when it knew the theatrical market was ‘weak,’ rather than waiting a few months for that market to recover?” the complaint stated.
- It was also reported that Disney did this because they wanted to gain more subscriptions for their streaming platform. Johansson’s attorney also alleged that Johansson’s best interest was not kept in mind.
- The actor’s attorney, John Berlinski, also alleged that Johansson’s salary was based on the Box Office performance of Black Widow. Therefore, the Box Office collapse did affect the actor directly.