Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige is said to be angry over the streaming release of Black Widow and the subsequent litigation filed by Scarlett Johansson against the Walt Disney Company. After multiple delays as a result of the pandemic, Black Widow - Johansson's swan-song to the role she has played since 2010 - was finally released both theatrically and via premier access on Disney+ on July 9th. Despite a strong opening weekend, beating out its closest competition F9 with ease, Black Widow saw a significant drop of 67% in box-office revenue on its second weekend of release, the largest of any film in the MCU. In part, this drop was blamed on the film's ready availability on Disney+ and a rise in film piracy, as well as the state of current cinema-attendance as a result of the pandemic.

Yesterday, Johansson filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Disney over an alleged breach of contract. Johansson's contract states that her salary is contingent on the box office success of the film she appears in, in this case Black Widow. Where other studios, like Warner Bros., have bought out actors' contracts to account for the loss of earning caused by streaming releases, Disney have been unwilling to do the same for their stars. As such, they have allegedly cost the actress $50,000,000.  The lawsuit marks one of the first times that a star has stood up to a studio over its move towards a streaming release, although Emma Stone is rumored to be considering a similar lawsuit over Cruella.

Related: Why Black Widow's Box Office Numbers Are Disappointing For Marvel & Disney

Johansson may also have found an ally in the Marvel Studios president, with former Hollywood Reporter editor Matt Belloni claiming in his newsletter What I'm Hearing... that "Feige is p*ssed" about Disney's decision to release Black Widow simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+. While Belloni notes that Feige isn't ordinarily one for confrontation, being "a company man" he is reportedly "angry and embarrassed" over the situation, having pushed for an exclusively theatrical release of the film and wants Disney to make right with Johansson. You can read Belloni's full report below:

"And make no mistake: Feige is p*ssed. He’s a company man, and not prone to corporate showdowns or shouting matches. But I’m told he’s angry and embarrassed. He lobbied Disney against the day-and-date plan for Black Widow, preferring the big screen exclusivity and not wanting to upset his talent. And then when the sh*t hit the fan, the movie started tanking, and Johansson’s team threatened litigation, he wanted Disney to make this right with her. (Disney declined to comment on Feige.)"

Black Widow's family at the dinner table

Belloni also highlighted the importance of Feige to both Marvel Studios and Disney, having presided over the MCU's box office dominance for over ten years. Belloni went so far as to describe the executive as "Disney’s most important employee", noting that they were quick to make changes to appease Feige after he reportedly threatened to walk from Marvel Studios over his numerous clashes with Marvel boss Ike Perlmutter. The fact that Disney chose to go against Feige's wishes, as well as the established plans for a purely theatrical release, by instigating a simultaneous streaming release doesn't bode well for the relationship between the two. Especially if he deliberately wanted to avoid a streaming release to prevent such a tank in box office revenue. The fact Disney were happy for it do so if streaming metrics remained strong suggests a clearly differing set of goals.

Feige has been incredibly loyal to the franchise's stars over the years, previously stating he would be more than happy for Johansson to return to the MCU. He had also stated how many of Black Widow's elements, including director Cate Shortlands' involvement, were a result of the actress and also praised her as one of the MCU's biggest stars - which she inarguably has been. It's understandable why Feige would want to avoid upsetting her and strive to make things right.  The fact that Johansson has left the MCU means that the damage isn't as threatening as it could be. However if Disney are pushing for further streaming releases akin to Black Widow's, against Feige's wishes and better judgement, then it will be interesting to see how the executive responds if the studio's relationship with its stars are endangered. We will just have to wait for any further developments in regards to this lawsuit over the coming weeks.

More: Every Scarlett Johansson Movie Releasing After Black Widow

Source: Matt Belloni

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