Disney SLAMS their own star Scarlett Johansson for $50M Black Widow box office lawsuit in extraordinary statement calling it 'sad and distressing' and
- Disney called a new lawsuit for Scarlett Johansson 'sad and distressing' and that it had 'no merit whatsoever'
- Johansson, 36, alleges she's lost more than $50million in earnings as a result of Black Widow being released on Disney+ at the same time as theaters
- 'Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson´s contract,' the company said
- The statement also stunningly revealed how much Johansson, 36, has made from the film: $20 million
- Her fee for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame was $15 million
- The actress filed the lawsuit on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court
- She claimed she'd been told the film would have an exclusive theatrical release
- Johansson said Disney steered viewers to Disney+ at the expense of her bonuses
Disney has slammed their star Scarlett Johansson for her $50million Black Widow lawsuit in extraordinary statement calling it 'sad and distressing' and insisting it has 'no merit whatsoever'.
Johansson, 36, filed her lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, alleging that she lost out on more than $50million as a result of the film being released on streaming service Disney+ at the same time as its debut in theaters, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The actress claimed she had been guaranteed that Black Widow would have an exclusive theatrical release, and that the bulk of her salary was based on the box office performance.
Disney swiftly hit back Johannsson's assertions.
'The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,' the company said in the statement to DailyMail.com.
The statement also stunningly revealed how much Johansson has made from the film: $20million. Her reported fee for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame was $15million.
'Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson´s contract,' the company said.
'Furthermore, 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.'
Disney has slammed their star Scarlett Johansson, left, for her $50 million Black Widow lawsuit in extraordinary statement. Disney CEO Bob Chapek is pictured, right
Disney CEO Bob Chapek, far right, is pictured at the Black Widow premiere with his son Brian Chapek, a producer for the film pictured third from left, with other Marvel and Disney executives
Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson as the cat-suited superspy, was available online to Disney+ subscribers for an extra fee of $29.99
It was not immediately clear what Johansson's additional compensation from streaming could be.
Johansson claims the movie's simultaneous release in theaters and on streaming service Disney+ breached her contract and that she lost out of more than $50million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The movie, starring Johansson as the cat-suited superspy, was available online to Disney+ subscribers for an extra fee of $29.99 at the same time as its release in traditional theaters.
Share this article
The actress filed the lawsuit on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Disney, claiming she had been guaranteed that Black Widow would have an exclusive theatrical release.
'Disney intentionally induced Marvel's breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,' the suit said.
Johansson is one of the highest paid actresses in the world and has an estimated net worth of about $165 million.
Before Black Widow, her highest-paid film to date was Ghost in the Shell in 2017 for which she earned a reported $17.5 million salary.
The lawsuit notes that Disney’s stock jumped on July 12 when the company disclosed the impressive streaming sales of Black Widow on Disney+
Black Widow took in $60 million on the streaming platform Disney+ on the opening weekend alone, the company previously announced in its first breakdown of steaming figures for a movie.
The movie set a pandemic-era record bringing in $218 million worldwide over opening weekend earlier this month, including the streaming figures, plus $80 million domestic box office and $78 million internationally.
However, the movie's box-office performance dropped off sharply after the opening weekend, leading some analysts to question whether the Disney+ streaming release was taking a bite out of ticket sales.
Black Widow saw box office receipts plunge 67 percent after opening weekend, and ticket sales currently stand at $319 million globally, putting the film on track to become one of the lowest-grossing Marvel movies of all time.
However, the lawsuit notes that Disney's stock rose after the company disclosed the impressive streaming sales of Black Widow on Disney+.
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 lawsuit said.
According to the complaint, Johansson's agents tried to renegotiate her contract after learning of the dual-release strategy for Black Widow, but Disney and Marvel were unresponsive.
Black Widow took in $60 million on the streaming platform Disney+ on the opening weekend alone (file photo)
The suit states that Johansson feared a streaming release as early as 2019, and that Marvel execs assured her that the film would be put out in a traditional theatrical model.
'We understand that should the plan change, we would need to discuss this with you and come to an understanding as the deal is based on a series of (very large) box office bonuses,' Marvel Chief Counsel Dave Galluzzi told Johansson's agents in a May 2019 email included in the lawsuit.
The suit comes at a pivotal moment for the film industry, as more major studios experiment with releasing movies simultaneously online and in theaters.
In response to the pandemic, Warner Bros. decided to release its full slate of movies this year on HBO Max on the same day that they hit theaters.
Parent company AT&T, which owns both Warner Bros. and HBO, appears pleased with the formula and plans to extend it.
Last week, WarnerMedia chief Jason Kilar revealed that in 2022 Warner Bros. will be producing 10 films that will debut on HBO Max the same day they're released.
Disney also moved toward simultaneous streaming release of movies due to the pandemic.
