Scarlett Johansson has filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company, alleging that her contract was breached when the studio released Black Widow on Disney+ as well as in theaters on the same day. The suits reads, “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.”
Johansson stated the suit that her agreement with Disney-owned Marvel Entertainment guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release, and that her salary was based in large part on the box-office performance of the film. There were no stipulations made for streaming revenue, though Johansson did try to reach out to the studio to negotiate before the reasleas of the film, but they were unresponsive.
Black Widow brought in $60 million on Disney+ Premier Access during its opening weekend, which is 27% of its total global $218.8 million box office.