Scarlett
Johansson
best
known
for
playing
Black
Widow
in
the
MCU
has
reportedly
filed
a
lawsuit
against
Disney
alleging
a
contract
breach.
The
actress
has
claimed
that
Disney
did
not
honour
its
commitment
to
release
the
film
only
in
theatres,
and
simultaneously
made
it
available
on
the
streaming
platform
Disney+.
Scarlett
revealed
that
the
actress'
pay
cheque
was
tied
to
the
box
office
performance
of
Black
Widow,
and
she
suffered
financial
losses
due
to
its
dual
release.
According
to
Wall
Street
Journal,
the
suit
said,
"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."
Meanwhile,
Variety
quoted
sources
close
to
Scarlett
telling
WSJ
that
the
simultaneous
online
release
of
Black
Widow
resulted
in
losses
of
$50
million
(around
Rs
371
crore).
On
the
other
hand,
a
spokesperson
for
Disney
said
that
the
company
"fully
complied" with
her
contract.
Disney
has
also
claimed
that
the
streaming
release
of
Black
Widow
had
"significantly
enhanced
her
(Scarlett's)
ability
to
earn
additional
compensation
on
top
of
the
$20
million
she
has
received
to
date".
A
statement
by
the
studio
called
the
allegations
"especially
sad
and
distressing".
"There
is
no
merit
whatsoever
to
this
filing.
The
lawsuit
is
especially
sad
and
distressing
in
its
callous
disregard
for
the
horrific
and
prolonged
global
effects
of
the
COVID-19
pandemic," said
the
studio's
spokesperson.
Black
Widow,
originally
set
to
release
in
May
2020,
debuted
in
theatres
and
on
Disney+
(for
an
additional
fee)
in
the
US
and
several
other
countries
on
July
9.
The
film
faced
a
delay
due
to
the
pandemic
and
was
released
when
many
theatres
across
the
globe
are
still
shut
down.
Notably,
Black
Widow
is
yet
to
release
in
India
and
is
expected
to
arrive
on
Disney+
Hotstar
in
October
2021.