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Scarlett Johansson sued Disney, accusing Marvel owner of violating her contract by publishing Black widow a movie in theaters and on the streaming service on the same day, lowering the box office.
Johansson, the star of the world a movie about superheroes, agreed a payment agreement largely based on sales at the box office, and her contract promised Black widow would be a “broad cinema release,” according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles High Court.
Johansson predicts he will announce the decision to publish Black widow at Disney Plus it cost her $ 50 million, says a person familiar with the matter.
China was empty or operating at limited capacity for more than a year during the coronavirus pandemic, prompting some of the major Hollywood studios to publish their films online and in cinemas – and lure subscribers to their streaming services while fighting Netflix.
By breaking the “theater window” – previously a three-month period between showing the film in cinemas and at home – talent contracts that depended on theater income were missed.
“Both sides, like Disney, realized that meant yes [film] It will initially be shown exclusively in cinemas, and will remain only in cinemas for a period of approximately 90 to 120 days, ”the lawsuit states.
Disney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Warner Bros. angered many directors, producers and actors in December transferred to release all of his 2021 movies on the HBO Max streaming service and theaters at the same time. Since then, Warner has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to disgruntled stars whose payouts depended on box office performance.
Johansson, who played Black widow decade, she claims that unlike Warner, Disney ignored her attempts to reclaim salaries.
Cinemas have reopened at full capacity in much of the United States. However, movie attendance remained low as the Delta variant led to an increase in coronavirus cases.
Black widow he earned $ 80 million at the North American box office on his first weekend, and $ 60 million from selling the film for $ 30 at Disney Plus. The box office dropped sharply after the premiere of the film, which led some observers to claim it Black widow‘availability for streaming has disrupted cash register sales.
“It’s no secret that Disney publishes movies like Black widow directly to Disney to increase the number of subscribers and thus increase the company’s share price — and to hide behind Covid-19 as an excuse for that, ”said John Berlinski, Johansson’s lawyer.
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