Scarlett Johansson and Disney have settled their breach of contract lawsuit over the release of Black Widow. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
"I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney," said Johansson, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come."
"I'm very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow," said Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman. "We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney's Tower of Terror."
This settlement comes after months of back and forth between Johansson and Disney regarding a lawsuit filed in July by the Marvel star over the release of Black Widow, her ninth and final film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which premiered simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access. The lawsuit, which was filed against Disney in Los Angeles Superior Court, stated that the film's release strategy was a direct breach of Johansson's contract, alleging that Disney and Marvel Entertainment guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release for Black Widow and that part of Johansson's payment would be based on the film's box office performance, which was diminished due to its release on Disney+ Premier Access. The lawsuit claimed that Johansson lost more than $50 million in revenue.
Since the filing, Johansson garnered support from players across the entertainment industry, including Jamie Lee Curtis and fellow Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen, as well as organizations like #DisneyMustPay and Time's Up, Women In Film and ReFrame, who called Disney's response a "gendered attack."
Disney's initial response to the suit called it not only "sad and distressing," but a "callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic." The company stated that the Disney+ release of Black Widow "significantly enhanced [Johansson's] ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date." Disney's first action since the filing was a demand that the lawsuit be moved out of the public eye and into arbitration, which prompted a response from Johansson's legal team.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek defended Black Widow's release strategy during an earnings call, citing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as a major reason. The film has earned $379 million at the worldwide box office to date and, in an unprecedented move, Disney released the opening weekend streaming numbers for Black Widow in July, revealing the film had earned $60 million globally via purchases on Disney+ Premier Access.
It was recently reported that, in the wake of Johansson's lawsuit, Disney would be overhauling its contract policy for deals with talent, which was addressed by Chapek during the Goldman Sachs 30th Annual Communacopia Conference. While he did not directly mention Johansson or the lawsuit, he did note the pandemic as a reason to reevaluate deals with talent, saying, "So there's a bit of a reset going on right now. Ultimately, we'll think about that as we do our future talent deals and plan for that and make sure that’s incorporated."
Source: The Hollywood Reporter