The actress and mum-of-two has accused Disney of “misogyny and misconduct” over the Black Widow release. 
Scarlett Johansson has filed a lawsuit against Disney, claiming she lost income after the entertainment giant released Marvel’s Black Widow on Disney+.
When Disney made the decision to launch Scarlett Johansson’s solo Marvel film Black Widow on Disney+ at the same times as in theatres, the actress and mum-of-two estimates she lost $67 million in earnings.
Scarlett launched a lawsuit against the entertainment giant, claiming a breach of contract, and Disney has responded by moving the lawsuit to binding arbitration.
That means Disney is trying to settle the matter out of court, and in private.
Scarlett’s lawyers have hit back, accusing Disney of misogyny and misconduct.
“After initially responding to this litigation with a misogynist attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now, predictably, trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration,” Scarlett’s lawyer, John Berlinski said.
Disney is trying to settle the lawsuit out of court.
Scarlett Johansson sues Disney
The lawsuit draws a line in the sand between Scarlett and Disney, who has done nine movies over the last 10 years with Marvel.
“Why is Disney so afraid of litigating this case in public?” her lawyer asked.
“Because it knows that Marvel’s promises to give Black Widow a typical theatrical release ‘like its other films’ had everything to do with guaranteeing that Disney wouldn’t cannibalise box office receipts in order to boost Disney+ subscriptions.
“Yet that is exactly what happened – and we look forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence that proves it.”
In her lawsuit, Scarlett alleged that Disney was in breach of contract because the company released Black Widow on its streaming platform, Disney+ .
“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms Johansson from realising the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,” the lawsuit read.
Disney’s response was swift. “The lawsuit is 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 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 $20 million she has received to date,” said a Disney spokesperson.
Scarlett’s agent Brian Lourd criticised Disney’s move to disclose how much his client had been paid so far, implying they wouldn’t have used that tactic if Scarlett was a man.
“The company included her salary… in an attempt to weaponise her success as an artists and businesswoman,” he said, according to Variety.
Source:https://www.kidspot.com.au