The actress Scarlett Johansson feels cheated out of cinema revenues.
As “Black Widow” Scarlett Johansson has been a central figure in the Marvel universe for the past eleven years – from the undercover agent’s debut in “Iron 2” to her screen death in the spectacle “Avengers Endgame”. But who has considered her current solo appearance in the blockbuster “Black Widow” to be the crowning finale of Johansson’s relationship with the Disney group, can now be curious. As it became known on Friday, the actress filed a lawsuit against the media group. It is about nothing less than the most important change in the media industry since the introduction of the home video market in the 1980s.
“Black Widow” was released as paid content on the “Disney +” streaming platform at the same time as it was released in theaters. This medium didn’t exist when Johansson signed her first Marvel film contract in 2010, and when she signed for Black Widow, Disney didn’t have its own streaming service. A parallel publication in this new home video sector inevitably reduces the revenues from theatrical exploitation, in which Johansson is directly involved. It’s about a lot of money: she has already earned twenty million, and at least fifty more have escaped her. Disney’s lawyers argue that they have fulfilled the contract.
The cinemas fear
The new exploitation strategy is of double importance for the studio: the approximately 60 million dollars that the film grossed on the streaming channel on the opening weekend in addition to the 158 million in the cinemas came from two million customers. They all paid an extra $ 29.99, but more importantly, many were newly won. Of course, the cinemas don’t benefit from this, on the contrary: without the successful summer blockbusters, an entire culture fears for survival. That is why Johansson’s complaint is so important.
Again and again it was actresses who set important limits for the Hollywood film industry through lawsuits. Olivia de Havilland sued Warner Brothers in 1943 for dismissal from a seven-year contract – which ended an unfair employment model for the whole guild. In 1992, her colleague Peggy Lee won $ 2.3 million from Disney because she was not paid royalties for the video cassettes of Lady and the Tramp – as the voice of several speaking roles and songwriter, she made a significant contribution to this cartoon classic.
So Scarlett Johansson is in good company. It is quite possible that Disney will have to cede a large part of its streaming revenues again. However, this will hardly help to save the film industry; The contracts have long been formulated with a view to the new medium.
