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Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over the release of "Black Widow" on its streaming platform, Disney+.
The Marvel star, 36, filed a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that Disney breached her contract when the media company simultaneously released the superhero film on both Disney+ and in theaters.
Johansson says in the suit that Disney’s Marvel Entertainment that her contract guaranteed exclusive theatrical release of the film and a large part of her salary hinged on the film having successful ticket sales.
"Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel," the suit said according to the Wall Street Journal.
DISNEY’S 'BLACK WIDOW' BY THE NUMBERS
Disney released the movie on Disney+ because of the pandemic which caused theaters to limit in-person capacity.
"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," said John Berlinski, an attorney for Johansson.
This image released by Disney/Marvel Studios’ shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from ‘Black Widow.’ (Marvel Studios/Disney via AP, File) Johansson has played Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff since her debut in 2010’s "Iron Man 2." This was her ninth and final movie as the character. DISNEY'S ‘BLACK WIDOW’ SETS STAGE FOR POSSIBLE CLASH WITH THEATERS Reps for the star reportedly tried to renegotiate her contract but Disney and Marvel were "unresponsive," according to the docs. According to an email in the suit, conversations about contract changes were started in 2019. The dual streaming-theatrical release reportedly has cost Johansson more than $50 million. The Walt Disney Co. said on July 11, the superhero pic generated an estimated $80 million in ticket sales in North America. Combined with $78 million from international theaters and at least $60 million in Disney+ Premier Access rentals, "Black Widow" grossed over $215 million in its first weekend. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS The studio said it’s the largest domestic opening weekend since "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" debuted in 2019, pre-pandemic. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Source: Read Full Article