Disney has responded to news of the lawsuit issued by Scarlett Johansson over Black Widow’s release on Disney+. After a long period of delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Black Widow finally released in theaters earlier this month on July 9. As theaters began shutting down across the country last year, many studios made the decision to release their movies online via streaming services. This eventually led to some releasing in theaters and online on the same day. When it was time for Black Widow to premiere, the movie hit theaters and released on Disney+ the same day for users with Premier Access.
Earlier today, reports surfaced stating that Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney because she believes that Black Widow releasing on Disney+ was a breach of her contract. Since Johansson’s earnings are affected by the success of the film at the box office, the option for audiences to watch the movie at home for a smaller price takes away from what she could have earned in normal circumstances.
Now, Disney has issued a response to Johansson’s lawsuit over Black Widow. Brooks Barnes, a reporter for The New York Times, shared Disney’s statement on Twitter. Disney is claiming they completely adhered to Johansson's contract, and they also point out that Johansson's salary was not negatively affected but was instead greater because of the release on Disney+. Read Disney's full statement below:
"There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and 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."
The news of this lawsuit is quite unexpected and surprising following all of the recent hype surrounding Black Widow's long-awaited release. Disney does not appear to be holding back or keeping things vague in their statement to hush the drama down like many companies have a tendency to do. If there was ever any doubt or speculation left, it's safe to say Natasha Romanoff is officially done in the MCU.
It will certainly be an interesting event to follow as it all plays out in the coming weeks. Of course, Disney+ users were understandably thrilled to have to ability to watch Black Widow at home, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic isn't actually over and many are still not comfortable going out to the theater even though they've opened back up. That, along with it being nearly impossible to know the full truth in this situation, may make it difficult for anyone on the outside to support one side versus the other. In any case, all of this is going on behind-the-scenes of Black Widow is definitely unfortunate for Johansson, as she has clearly loved portraying Natasha Romanoff all these years and likely would never have imagined her MCU farewell to go down this way.
Source: Brooks Barnes