Disney screwing stars over
One Hollywood actress just stunned Disney with a huge lawsuit
Disney has become a behemoth in film and television.
The company demands a lot from its star talent.
But one Hollywood actress just stunned Disney with a huge lawsuit.
Actress Scarlett Johansson is going to war with Disney.
Johansson, who played Black Widow in many Marvel movies, is suing the company after it released her starring vehicle Black Widow in theaters the same day that it appeared on Disney’s streaming service Disney+.
Breitbart reports:
“In the lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, attorneys for Johansson said Marvel promised the star that Black Widow would receive a ‘theatrical release’ . . . The agreement allegedly provided for Black Widow to open exclusively in cinemas for a period roughly between 90 and 120 days, which was the traditional ‘theatrical window’ before the coronavirus pandemic upended the industry.”
Big-name actors often get a percentage of the box office receipts as part of their compensation.
With Disney making the move to release Black Window on Disney+ simultaneously, the company cut into her profits.
It’s understandable why she would be upset.
Breitbart continued:
“Johansson claimed Marvel ignored her attempts to negotiate after the studio announced it would debut Black Widow in theaters and on Disney+ at the same time. Her complaint specifically cited Disney chairman Bob Iger and CEO Bob Chapek, claiming both men received stock compensation tied directly to the performance of the Disney+ streaming service.”
The conflict of interest from the Disney executives is clear – they wanted as many eyeballs watching on the streaming service as possible in order to bolster their own compensation.
Prior to the pandemic, it was unprecedented for big studio franchises on the scope and scale of Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984 to be released on streaming platforms the same day as theaters.
Warner Bros. announced that its entire 2021 slate would be released on HBO Max the same day as the theatrical release.
Directors and actors for the studio were furious.
Johansson’s lawsuit could serve as a litmus test for such uncharted territory.
Regardless, actor and director contracts moving forward will most certainly address this issue.
https://culturewatchnews.com/one-hollywood-actress-just-stunned-disney-with-a-huge-lawsuit/
