DisneyMarvel actress Scarlett Johansson hit back on Thursday after Widow filed a lawsuit over Disney's release of "Black Widow" on Disney+.
Scarlett claims that she has been guaranteed the film's exclusive cinema release, and that most of her income is linked to the film's box office performance.
"this lawsuit is of no value," Disney said in a statement. The lawsuit is particularly sad and painful because it mercilessly ignores the terrible and long-term global impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. "
The company added: "Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johnson's contract, and the release of the Black Widow in Disney + and Premier Access has greatly improved her ability to add additional income to the $20 million she has received so far."
According to Scarlett's lawsuit, her representative asked for "the Black Widow" to be released in theaters as early as 2019, when there were concerns that Disney executives might use the film to enrich its new streaming service, Disney+.
Johnson's lawsuit quoted Marvel's general counsel as saying that "the Black Widow" would be released like other Marvel movies in the Universe. In other words, it will be shown in cinemas before entering the home video market.
Marvel's general counsel promised: "We understand that if the plan changes, we need to discuss and reach an agreement with you because the deal is based on a series of [very large] box office bonuses." The promise came months before the pandemic disrupted the cinema industry and forced studios to change their distribution strategies.
Scarlett's complaint alleges that she tried to negotiate with Marvel as soon as she heard that Black Widow would be released on streaming and cinemas on the same day. Neither Disney nor Marvel responded.
It is not clear how much Scarlett will be paid for the film, or whether Disney's claim of $20 million includes the film's current box office receipts.