Scarlett Johansson sues Disney over Black Widow streaming

Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over the movie’s streaming release.

Legal representatives for the actress filed a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday (July 29) alleging that Johansson’s contract was breached when Disney released Black Widow on its Premier Access service on Disney+ at the same time as its theatrical window.

The suit claims Johansson’s contract for the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie stipulated that her salary would be tied to Black Widow’s box office performance (via WSJ).

Black Widow made more than $80 million at the US box office and another $78 million from other markets in its opening weekend, with Disney reporting it also made more than $60 million in its initial release on Premier Access.

Johansson’s attorney John Berlinski has said of the suit: “This will surely not be the last case where Hollywood talent stands up to Disney and makes it clear that, whatever the company may pretend, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts.”

Prior to the film’s release, Black Widow director Cate Shortland spoke about the decision to release the film on streaming after more than a year of delaying its cinema release due to COVID-19.

“Well, we made this film to be seen in cinemas, and it’s not so much seen in cinemas, it’s felt in cinemas because we created the sound, and the music, and just the huge beautiful spectacle was to be seen on a big screen,” she told Deadline.

“So, as a director, I want people, if they’re safe, to see it in that environment, but I know some people can’t for a lot of reasons. So, it’s really cool that other people will still get to see the movie.”