SCARLETT Johansson filed a lawsuit with Disney on Thursday, July 29, 2021, over a supposed breach of contract.
The lawsuit follows the release of Marvel’s Black Widow, which marks the actress’ retirement from the superhero franchise.
Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against DisneyCredit: AP
How much did Scarlett Johansson make for Black Widow?
With a net worth estimated at $165million, Scarlett is one of the world’s top-grossing actresses.
She is also the second-highest-paid Marvel star, according to Style Caster.
For her last turn in a Marvel movie, this time focused on fan-favorite Natasha Romanoff, landed an estimated salary of $15 million, as claimed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.
Her male co-stars, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, are said to have made the same amount of money for their own solo movies, Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok.
However, Scarlett’s salary does not include producer checks, as she was one of Black Widow’s executive producers.
According to a Disney spokesman, questioned after the lawsuit against the movie giant was filed, Scarlett received a total of “$20 million” for Black Widow.
Why is Scarlett Johansson suing Disney?
Scarlett sued Disney over a supposed breach of contract.
She allegesd that the studio broke its agreement with her after releasing Black Widow on their streaming service, Disney+.
In court documents, Scarlett claims that the contract guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release and that her salary for the movie is based in large part on its box office performance.
During its July 9 cinema debut, the movie engrossed $80 million at the American box office and $78 million overseas.
By dropping the latest Marvel movie on Disney+, the mother-to-be considers that Disney cost her an estimated $50 million, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The complaint also states that Scarlett’s representatives tried to renegotiate her contract after learning of the dual release but both Disney and Marvel both allegedly remained unresponsive.
In 2019, the star’s representatives again reached out to Marvel seeking ᴀssurance that Black Widow had an exclusive theatrical release.
According to Time, “the final outcome of the suit will likely determine whether studios release major films already in the can to streaming services.”
Yet, on September 30, 2021, Scarlett and Disney settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.
“I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney,” stated Scarlett to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday after news of the settlement was made public.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.”
Chairman of Disney Studios Alan Bergman said: “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow.
“We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”
What has Disney said?
Disney took no time to blast Scarlett’s lawsuit and quickly issued a response.
The Disney spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that the actress’ lawsuit had no merit and branded it “especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Not only does the studio claim that it “fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract”, it has stated that the release of Black Widow on Disney+ was overall beneficial for the actress.
The Disney+ release is said to have “significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation”, on top of the whopping salary she has received to date.
In a statement given to Variety, Scarlett’s lawyer, John Berlinski struck back.
