Marvel’s Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson has reportedly asked Disney for $100 million over the supposed movie release controversy.
In the lawsuit, Johansson claims that Disney breached her contract by releasing Black Widow on Disney+ at the same time that it was released in movie cinemas.
Disagreements like these in Hollywood are being referred to as “streaming wars”, where the world of cinema is being affected by digital platforms of the modern era.
Now as per The Wall Street Journal, they have revealed that Johansson’s sum of $100 million is based on a “hypothetical” calculation of what she would have received if the movie had released to its original schedule, without release on streaming platform Disney+.
The estimation combines the “global box-off take”, as well as Johansson’s salary for the movie which is a sum of $20 million.
“The calculation was based on what the star would receive in a hypothetical global box-office take of $1.2 billion,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
Further according to the site, the $100 million estimate was only a “starting bid”, with no negotiations being discussed as Disney has not made a counteroffer.
At the time when the lawsuit was issued against Disney, a spokesperson for the company issued a statement, stating that it is “especially sad and distressing” given the major setbacks creative industries have faced due to the global pandemic.
They said, “There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract,” they added, “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.”
For more on this topic, follow the Film & TV Observer.
