The Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson's time as an Avenger is now in the past. This has led to a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Disney, Marvel's owner. This lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. It alleges that Disney violated its contract with Scarlett Johansson when the film was released on Disney+ along with its theatrical debut.Ms. Johansson, Disney and Marvel, as well as most Hollywood celebrities, know that a theatrical release is not available outside of movie theatres. Disney knew this, but directed Marvel to release the Picture on Disney+ streaming service instead of the theatrical release.The pandemic has changed the way that first-run movies are distributed and consumed, at least for the short term. Disney and other studios chose to stream films to streaming in 2020 rather than suffering perpetual delays and poor box-office numbers due to restrictions that closed movie theaters. They have split the difference recently as movie theaters reopened and offer same-day streaming.TechCrunch obtained a copy the suit. It appears that Johanssons concern about streaming services predates the pandemic. According to the suit, Johanssons representatives requested assurances from Disney/Marvel when Disney launched its streaming service Disney+. This was despite the company's attempts to increase subscription numbers.It refers to an email from Marvels chief counsel that was sent in May of this year.We fully understand Scarlett's willingness to make the film. Her entire deal was based on the assumption that the film would be released theatrically like all of our other films. As the deal is based upon a series (very large) bonus box office, it is possible for the plan to change. We would be happy to talk with you about this.In a statement to TechCrunch, John Berlinski, the attorney for the actress John Berlinski stated that Disney plans to release films such as Black Widow directly onto Disney+ in order to increase its subscribers and boost its stock price. He also said that Disney uses COVID-19 to cover this. We look forward to proving that this shortsighted strategy is against the rights of the artists who contributed to the films' success. This is not the first time that Hollywood talent has stood up to Disney. It makes it clear, however pretentious, that it has a legal duty to honor its contracts.Although Disney is accused of hiding behind COVID-19 in the statement, it's clear that the studio was not the only one to rethink its release strategy over this past year. It remains to be seen if the pandemic will provide sufficient extenuating circumstances to allow for its release decisions. The trial's outcome could have an impact on the release of blockbusters by studios after the pandemic.We reached out to Disney and will update as appropriate.
