Status: 07/30/2021 11:13 a.m.
The US company Disney has released the film “Black Widow” at the same time in the cinema and on its streaming platform. The main actress does not want to accept that – the actress sees a breach of contract.
Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson defends himself in court against Disney’s corporate strategy. The US company had the latest version of the blockbuster “Black Widow” launched at the same time in the cinema and on its streaming service Disney +. According to the “Wall Street Journal”, the Hollywood star alleged that this procedure violated contractual agreements. You have been promised an exclusive film release on the screen because your earnings are based on the cinema revenues.
If Disney now redirects viewers to its online service, “where the company can keep the revenue to itself and at the same time increase the number of subscribers to Disney +”, this is a breach of contract, said Johansson. In addition, the company had “significantly devalued Ms. Johansson’s contract and wanted to enrich itself through it,” says the complaint, from which the US business newspaper quotes.
Million revenues at the start
Disney described the lawsuit as “unfounded” in a statement. The contractual requirements have been strictly adhered to. With the release of the film on the in-house streaming platform Disney + Johanssons, “opportunities for additional income over and above the $ 20 million already received” have been significantly increased.
According to the New York Times, Black Widow grossed $ 158 million worldwide in the first three days of cinema. In addition, the film grossed around $ 60 million on the Disney + streaming channel on the opening weekend.
Cinemas were closed for a long time
“Black Widow” was in US theaters on July 9th and simultaneously on Disney +. Johansson had previously embodied the “Black Widow” character from the Marvel universe several times, now she has portrayed the combative agent for the first time in a solo film. The film, directed by Australian Cate Shortland, tells the story of Natasha Romanoff, a spy known as the “Black Widow”.
Disney’s approach is not new. After the outbreak of the pandemic of the closure of the cinemas, the Warner Bros. studio decided to release films simultaneously on the screen and via streaming. It used to take weeks or months for a film to be available on home screens after it opened in theaters. Because the cinemas closed for months in many countries, the film industry decided on a broader marketing strategy.