Disney Fires Back at Scarlett Johansson’s Lawsuit

Earlier today, it was widely reported that Scarlett Johansson had filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against The Walt Disney Company and Marvel over Black Widow’s streaming release on Disney+. The actress is citing breach of contract because the Marvel Studios film had been guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release when she signed her contract. Given that Johansson’s salary was contingent on the box office success of the film, her profit could be hindered by the film’s simultaneous release on Disney+.

Part of the suit states, “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.”

Now, Disney has released a statement to New York Times reporter Brooks Barnes in response to the lawsuit.

The Walt Disney Co states that the lawsuit has “no merit whatsoever” and followed up by calling it “sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

They also said, “Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”

You can see one of those tweets from reporter Brooks Barnes below:

Disney continued: “Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”

— Brooks Barnes (@brooksbarnesNYT) July 29, 2021

Disney gives a “no merit whatsoever” response to Johansson’s pay lawsuit and calls it “sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Disney continued: “Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”

On July 11, The Walt Disney Company announced that Marvel Studios’ Black Widow debuted to an estimated total of more than $215M globally opening weekend, including $80M in domestic box office, $78M in international box office, and over $60M in Disney+ Premier Access consumer spend globally.