While Disney is currently facing a lawsuit from Scarlett Johansson over the decision to release Black Widow in theaters and Disney+, the cast of Jungle Cruise have no interest in doing the same.
Deadline revealed that Dwayne Johnson and his production company Seven Bucks Productions will not file any lawsuits against Disney following its opening release at the box office. For its first weekend, Jungle Cruise was number one financially, making $13.378 million on Friday and $32.5 million by Sunday. This put the film ahead of not only Black Widow, but also M. Night Shyamalan's Old, A24's The Green Knight and the Matt Damon-led drama Stillwater.
Like Black Widow, Jungle Cruise is available to watch through Disney+ Premiere Access for a price of $29.99. This price tag was previously used for other high-budget Disney films delayed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, most recently the live-action Cruella prequel and the animated film Raya and the Last Dragon. Most recently, it was reported that Cruella's Emma Stone considering filing a similar complaint against Disney for its release strategy, though the actor has yet to officially announce this decision.
Johansson's lawsuit accused Disney of renegading on its initial deal to release Black Widow solely in theaters, as her share of the profits came directly from its theatrical release. Subsequent attempts by Johansson to alter her contract in response to the streaming changes were ignored and, reportedly, she will lose over $50 million as a result. Shortly afterwards, Disney released a counter-statement claiming the case has "no merit," but it was recently revealed that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was "angry and ashamed" over the company's legal decisions. Feige also unsuccessfully tried to dissuade Disney from releasing the MCU film to Disney+ and "wanted Disney to fix things with her" after the film received low box office numbers.
Jungle Cruise, an adaptation of the Disneyland ride, was originally scheduled for a 2019 release but got pushed back twice, the second time due to the pandemic. The film follows Emily Blunt's Dr. Lily Houghton, who hires riverboat captain Frank Wolff (Johnson) to take her and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) down the Amazon in search of a mythical healing tree before her rival Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemmons) reaches it first. This marks Disney's latest attempt to turn one of its theme park attractions into a movie, with other notable examples including Tomorrowland, The Haunted Mansion and the acclaimed Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Jungle Cruise is now playing in theaters and available to stream through Disney+ Premier Access.
Source: Deadline