Disney Plays Hardball with Widow's bank account
After being repeatedly pushed back, this summer was met with the highly anticipated release of Black Widow, which centers on Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, Avengers: Endgame), the first female Avenger of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), along with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh, Little Women). Not only was it released in theaters, but it was also simultaneously broadcast on Disney+, the streaming service of Marvel’s parent company. This is where the conflict begins.
A good portion of Johansson’s profit for Black Widow would have been from bonuses received due to box office milestones, as has been true for actors for years. Because of its concurrent at-home release, people had the opportunity to either go to the theaters, or they could stay at home, paying $30, with the ability to see the movie as many times as they want. This caused Black Widow to suffer a significant drop in theater viewers, which prevented the movie from reaching the box office milestones most MCU movies easily surpass, taking money out of Johansson’s pocket..
Travis Clark, a journalist from Variety, compared blockbuster movies from this year, based on box office revenues, and whether they were released in theaters, on streaming sites, or both. From its box office debut, Black Widow racked $80.3 million, and $182.7 million in total, while having a dual release. Comparatively, Marvel’s most recent installment, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings, was only released in theaters, with a box office debut of over $90 million, and is expected to make a lot more as the weeks roll on.
Johansson’s contract states that Black Widow would have a theatrical release, though there is debate about whether that means exclusively in theaters or not. Either way, her contract didn’t take into consideration profit from Disney+, and Disney made no efforts to rework the legal language. Thus, Johansson missed out on a hefty sum of money. Jeff Finkelstein, a partner at an entertainment law firm, shared with Tyler Aquilina, from Entertainment Weekly that, “the complaint suggests that there were efforts on Scarlett's side to reach some kind of resolution, but those efforts were not reciprocated. And that's surprising.” Aquilina also wrote in the article that other companies, such as Warner Bros, worked with their stars on financial compensation for their movies having a multi-platform release.
Johansson sued Disney for a contract breach, which they didn’t take too kindly to. Because of this, Disney very publicly responded by criticizing Johansson’s morals, calling it “sad and distressing,” as well as going on to say that the lawsuit is a “callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” This can be found in Brent Lang’s Variety article on the situation. This is interesting, given the fact that Johansson wasn’t saying anything about how it shouldn’t have been released to their streaming service, just that it should have been worked into her contract so she wouldn’t have missed out on millions of dollars.
Johansson’s co-star, Benedict Cumberbatch, also chimed in on the conversation. The Dr. Strange actor spoke with Rebecca Keegan, from The Hollywood Reporter, calling the situation, “... a bit of a mess,” then going on to say, “we’re trying to understand what the revenue streams should be for artists that contribute to the billion-dollar business that is Disney. . .How does an artist’s normal compensation with box office bonuses, how does it work? It’s a new paradigm, and it’s a very complex one.” Hollywood is heading into new territory with movies being launched online, as well as in theaters. This transition is going to be confusing and difficult for many actors and companies as they try to piece together how to move forward and what the future of the entertainment industry will look like.
By Addison Isely
Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 1
October 6th, 2021