image source - New York Post

Scarlett Johansson, one of the most popular actresses in the Hollywood industry, is back in the headlines. Popularly known as Natasha Romanoff or Black Widow in MCU or Marvel Cinematic Universe, has sued the parent company, Disney, for breaching the contracts.  

It was the debut movie for Scarlett Johansson in Marvel Cinematic Universe, and possibly the last was released on the Disney + PVOD series in the United States. 

According to the lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles superior court, Scarlett Johansson signed the contract with Disney for a standalone appearance in the Black Widow Movie. 

She has sued Disney + for using her appearance and star power for promoting Disney + and releasing Black Widow as a streaming model for the movie. 

One of the main reasons behind the hybrid releasing model is that Disney wanted to raise the subscription count to outperform the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Moreover, Disney + also wanted to follow the same formula they followed with Last Dragon, Cruella, Mulan, and Raya. 

People who could not pay for the entire venture can pay a small amount of subscription and can enjoy the comfort of watching their favorite movies from home. 

Disney might have also followed the same technique by its competitor Warner Bros, who finalized that they would launch their every 2021 movie in the hybrid form on their HBO’s Max. The decision might have triggered Disney to follow the same pattern.

image source - waltdisney

Just like any other company Disney has rejected all the allegations filed by Scarlett Johansson. They also added that they have fully complied with all the terms with Ms. Johansson. The release of the Black Widow will also compensate for Ms. Johansson with an additional whopping 20 million USD. 

Although the statement from Disney is not clear because the film's gross production and earnings are beyond imagination, Black Widow has also earned a huge opening of 319.45 million USD. Scarlett is also displeased with the fact that Disney finalized the decision of going with a limited release as theatres all across the globe are not open owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

All in all, Disney’s statement suggests that Johansson wants to earn more compensation which was not mentioned in the part of the first deal. On the other hand, Warner Bros will have to also pay a whopping compensation of 200 million USD to actors like Gal Gadot, Patty Jenkins, and Will Smith.

The lawsuit is now not between Ms. Scarlett Johansson and Disney, but it has also become a point of debate between theatrical Vs. Streaming debate. Moreover, many filmmakers are also worried about the conventional launch as nothing seems clear shortly. Most of the well-recognized worldwide filmmakers also added that it is the final nail in the coffin for theatrical business. 

image soure - warner brothers

There is also no clear information that Disney and Marvel Cinematic Universe will follow the same route for upcoming movies.