Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Black Widow starring Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney alleging a contract breach where it claimed that Disney did not have its commitment to release the film only in theatres and simultaneously made it available on the streaming platform Disney+.
According to the reports, the suit stated that Scarlett’s paycheque was tied to the box office performance of Black Widow and she suffered financial losses due to its dual release which is around $50 million (around ₹371 crore).
It states – “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. It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like ‘Black Widow’ directly onto Disney Plus to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company’s stock price — and that it’s hiding behind COVID-19 as a pretext to do so,” John Berlinski, an attorney for Johansson, said in a statement to Variety. “But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we look forward to proving as much in court. This will surely not be the last case where Hollywood talent stands up to Disney and makes it clear that, whatever the company may pretend, it has a legal obligation to honour its contracts.”
In response, Disney stated – “There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Black Widow, originally set to release in May 2020, debuted in theatres and on Disney+ (for an additional fee) in the US and several other countries on July 9. Meanwhile, Black Widow is yet to release in India but is already available on pirate sites in high-definition. According to reports, it is expected to arrive on Disney+ Hotstar in October.
