Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday against Disney On release Black widowIn the lawsuit, she claimed that when the company released the movie on its Disney+ streaming service at the same time it was first shown in theaters, her contract was violated.
The lawsuit alleges that Johnson’s agreement with Disney Marvel Entertainment guarantees the show’s exclusive theater release. Black widow, And most of her salary is based on the film’s box office performance. She argued that the simultaneous streaming of superhero movies on Disney’s streaming media caused many viewers to stay at home and watch instead of going to the theater.
The lawsuit reads: “Disney deliberately induced Marvel to violate the agreement without any legitimate reason to prevent Ms. Johnson from realizing all the benefits of bargaining with Marvel.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney launched a plan to release movies on Disney+ at the same time it was shown in theaters. Facts proved that this strategy was successful for streaming services, as many theaters were closed during the pandemic and then gradually reopened, but initially the capacity was reduced.
WarnerMedia is launching new HBO Maximum streaming service. Wonder Woman 1984 It was the first movie released by WarnerMedia in this way. The movie starring Gal Gadot was shown in theaters on Christmas Day and was shown on HBO Max on the same day for a month.
Comcast’s NBCUniversal also recently launched a dual version Boss baby: family business, It was shown in theaters at the same time as it was shown Peacock Streaming services.
Some people in the industry have criticized the dual release plan, including director Denis Villeneuve. dune It was scheduled to appear on HBO Max at the same time as it was released in theaters in October this year, but after many delays.
Johannson is the first person to file a lawsuit against the studio against the dual-stream media/theatre version. According to her complaint, Johnson’s representative tried to renegotiate her contract, but was unsuccessful. Black widow After understanding the distribution strategy, cooperated with Disney and Marvel.
