Scarlett Johansson is suing the Walt Disney Company for releasing Black Widow simultaneously on Disney+ and in theaters.
The actress, who filed a lawsuit on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims there was a breach of an agreement with Disney’s Marvel Entertainment that guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release for her Marvel character Black Widow’s first solo film, according to a copy obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Disney wanted to substantially devalue Ms. Johansson’s agreement and thereby enrich itself,” says the lawsuit, alluding to how bringing the movie to its streaming service upon release is good for attracting subscribers but hurts a deal that is based on the film’s box office performance.
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“It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company’s stock price and that it’s hiding behind COVID-19 as a pretext to do so,” John Berlinski, attorney for Scarlett Johansson, told the Washington Examiner.
The lawsuit against Disney comes as other entertainment companies are moving toward streaming new content on designated all-access platforms at the expense of traditional film. The trend, which accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic, has also frustrated many private theater companies.
Earlier this month, the National Association of Theatre Owners criticized Disney’s decision to make Black Widow available in theaters and through Disney+ on the same day. The film earned $80 million domestically during its box office debut weekend and fell a sharp 67% during its second weekend, marking the worst second-weekend performance of any Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
Disney delayed the release of the film for more than a year due to the pandemic in order to ensure a theatrical release would happen. The company made its decision to allow Disney+ users to pay a premium to access the movie from home before vaccination rates began to rise throughout the country.
“Despite assertions that this pandemic-era improvised release strategy was a success for Disney and the simultaneous release model, it demonstrates that an exclusive theatrical release means more revenue for all stakeholders in every cycle of the movie’s life,” the National Association of Theatre Owners wrote in a July 18 statement.
Disney has said it plans to allow the rest of its 2021 releases to debut exclusively in theaters in late summer and early fall.
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The Washington Examiner contacted Disney’s Marvel Entertainment arm but did not immediately receive a response.
