By: Shane Macalanda
Last March, Disney made headlines when it announced that Black Widow will be shown simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ for a fee. Because of the epidemic, the film had to be postponed several times, as it was initially scheduled to come out in May of 2020.
While other studios have done same-day streaming and theatrical releases, the announcement for Black Widow stood noteworthy since Marvel is Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster brand, with over $23 billion in global box revenue since 2008.
A few weeks after the film was released, Scarlett Johansson, who played Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for almost a decade, has reportedly filed a lawsuit in state court in Los Angeles against Disney for streaming Black Widow at the same time as it was released in theaters. Disney allegedly wants to “keep the income for itself while concurrently boosting the Disney+ subscriber base, a known technique to enhance Disney’s stock price,” according to the lawsuit.
Johansson became a household name with her performance as the femme fatale Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 (2010). However, after a long engagement with Disney and Marvel Studios, the actor’s relationship with them has deteriorated due to financial reasons.
Scarlett Johansson’s compensation for Black Widow, according to reports, was based on the film’s box office earnings. Despite the pandemic and restricted cinema exposure around the world, Black Widow performed admirably. However, the cash generated by Disney+ will not be included in Johansson’s compensation, which the actress and her lawyers believe is a breach of contract.
While the lawsuit is still ongoing and Johansson has not spoken publicly about it, the actress is not keen on returning as Black Widow for future Marvel films or series.
“I have no plans to return as Natasha. I feel really satisfied with this film. It feels like a great way to go out for this chapter of my Marvel identity,” said Johansson in an interview with Fatherly while promoting the film.