Scarlett Johansson has some choice words about her legal battle with Disney over Black Widow‘s streaming release.
“I don’t hold a grudge. I think it was just poor judgment and poor leadership at that time,” Johansson, 39, told The New York Times in an interview published on Saturday, July 13. “It just felt very unprofessional to me — the entire ordeal.”
Johansson still isn’t thrilled with how Disney handled her concerns, adding, “Honestly, I was incredibly disappointed, especially because I was holding out hope until, finally, my team was like, ‘You have to act.’”
Us Weekly confirmed in July 2021 that Johansson was suing Disney for releasing Black Widow on its streaming service, Disney+, as well as in theaters during the Covid pandemic, which she alleged was a breach of contract. Johansson, whose salary was tied to how well the movie did at the box office,claimed that the theatrical debut was undercut by the opportunity to stream the film online.
“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,” her attorney John Berlinski argued at the time. “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 honor its contracts.”
Disney released a statement in response, claiming there was “no merit” to Johansson’s filing.
“This lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow onDisney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date,” the statement read.
Later that year, Johansson and Disney settled the lawsuit, but the terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney,” the actress said in a September 2021 statement. “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.”
Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman also weighed in on the legal decision. “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow,” he stated. “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.”
Johansson previously told Variety that she was “mostly sad” over the legal fight with Disney, sharing in May 2023, “It was such a surreal moment because we were all isolated and just sort of emerging a little bit. I was also really heavily pregnant, too, which in a weird way was amazing timing. Suddenly, your entire attention is drawn to this miracle of life. So, I had the most wonderful distraction in the world and soon after had a beautiful baby.” (She shares son Cosmo, 2, with Colin Jost and daughter Rose, 9, with ex Romain Dauriac.)
