Disney And Scarlett Johansson Settle Black Widow Streaming Lawsuit
The legal battle between Scarlett Johansson and Disney over the latter’s alleged breach of the Black Widow star’s contract through their simulreleasing of the Marvel film on Disney Plus has finally come to an end, with the two parties agreeing to settle the issue out of court.
Related: Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney For Breach Of Contract Over Black Widow’s Same-Day Streaming Release, Disney Says Lawsuit Disregards “Horrific” Effects Of Covid-19
Johansson and Disney’s settlement was first learned of and reported on by The Hollywood Reporter, though they were unfortunately unable to provide any specific details regarding their agreement, as “terms of the deal were not disclosed.”
In a statement provided to the outlet, Johansson asserted that she was “happy to have resolved our differences with Disney.”
Related: Disney CEO Bob Chapek Describes Shang-Chi Theatrical Release As “Interesting Experiment” After Black Widow And Jungle Cruise Bomb At The Box Office
“I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team,” she added. “I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.”
Similarly, in a separate statement made on behalf of the House of Mouse, Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman asserted that he was “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,” he concluded.
Related: Marvel Star Elizabeth Olsen Voices Support For Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow Lawsuit Against Disney: “Good For You, Scarlett
Filed in July of this year, Johannson alleged that that Disney had violated the terms of her contract when they released Black Widow on Disney Plus at the same time as the film landed in theaters.
In her lawsuit, the Marvel star argued that Disney’s decision to employ a simultaneous release strategy for Black Widow “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,” as the actress’ salary for appearing in the film was based heavily on its box office returns.
Related: Theatre Owners Blast Disney And Marvel For Black Widow’s Poor Box Office Performance
“It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney Plus to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company’s stock price – and that it’s hiding behind Covid-19 as a pretext to do so,” said Johnasson’s lawyer, John Berlinski, at the time of the lawsuit’s original filing.
“But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we look forward to proving as much in court,” he added.
What do you make of Johansson and Disney agreeing to settle the Black Widow lawsuit? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!
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