Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney for its decision to release the
Black Widow
movie
on its streaming platform at the same time in theaters which, according to the actress, constitutes a breach of contract which has cost her millions of dollars.
Read also: Disney + accused of dropping
Black Widow
theatrical admissions in
the United States
Scarlett Johansson, one of Hollywood's highest-paid stars, was entitled to a percentage of the proceeds raised by the highly anticipated Marvel film, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in a Los Angeles court. The release of
Black Widow
on the big screen, scheduled for last year, had been postponed several times due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The film was finally released in July in theaters, but also on the Disney + streaming platform.
Box office experts believe that the disappointing numbers - by Marvel movie standards - are in part due to its simultaneous streaming release. In three weeks, the film grossed $ 150 million in American theaters.
“It's no secret that Disney is releasing films like 'Black Widow' directly on Disney + to attract more subscribers and thus boost the company's share price - and invoke the Covid-19 as pretext, ”
Scarlett Johansson's lawyer, John Berlinski, said in a statement to AFP.
“This is surely not the last time that Hollywood talent has stood up to Disney and made it clear that whatever the company may claim, it has a legal obligation tohonor its contracts ",
he added.
Disney, which owns Marvel Studios specializing in superheroes, did not immediately respond to AFP's request.
Favor streaming
Like many Hollywood studios, Disney is increasingly prioritizing streaming as a source of future revenue.
After
Black Widow's
first weekend of operation
, Disney issued a statement claiming that the film had raised
"over $ 60 million"
on Disney + alone, where it was available to subscribers, for an additional cost of $ 30. dollars.
In the complaint filed, it is stated that
"to protect her financial interests, Ms. Johansson obtained a promise from Marvel that the film would be released 'in theaters'"
which, she said, implied that it would not be available. streaming immediately. But
"Disney wanted to draw film audiences away from theaters and to its own streaming service, where it could keep the revenue to itself while increasing the number of Disney + subscribers
,
"
the company seeking to "s'. enrich ”, we still read.
Rival studio Warner Bros. came under fire last year for making a similar move by releasing all of its films simultaneously to theaters and streaming. Warner had renegotiated many of his contracts with stars and directors, and reportedly paid more than $ 200 million to make up for the shortfall at the box office.
