Scarlett Johansson And Disney Agree To End Black Widow Pay Lawsuit

The war between Scarlett Johansson and Disney is over.

On Thursday (Sept 30), the Oscar-nominated actress and Disney resolved their dispute over the lawsuit that Johansson filed against the company in July.

The lawsuit claimed that Disney’s decision to release Black Widow, a Marvel Studios movie starring Johansson, on Disney+ at the same time as its theatrical release violated the terms of their contract and impacted negatively on her salary.

In a statement (per Variety), Johansson said, “I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. 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.”

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Johansson had sought a US$50 million (S$67.8 mil) payout from the studio.

Alan Bergman, chairman of Disney Studios Content, said that Disney appreciates Johansson’s “contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney's Tower of Terror.”

The lawsuit sparked a war of words between Johansson’s talent agency CAA and Disney. A Disney spokesperson said then, “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

CAA co-chairman Bryan Lourd that Disney “shamelessly and falsely accused Ms. Johansson of being insensitive to the global COVID pandemic, in an attempt to make her appear to be someone they and I know she isn’t.”

Since its July release, Black Widow — which reportedly cost US$200 million — has earned almost US$378.7 million worldwide. According to the studio, the movie also made US$60 million globally on Disney+ in its first weekend.

In Singapore, Black Widow will be streamed for free for all Disney+ subscribers on Oct 6.

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos