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Scarlett Johansson, Disney settle 'Black Widow' pay suit

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Agence France-Presse

<p>LOS ANGELES - Actress Scarlett Johansson and Disney announced Thursday they reached a settlement in her lawsuit over her compensation for &quot;Black Widow,&quot; which she said was slashed when the studio released the movie on streaming at the same time as in theaters.</p><p>Johansson, one of Hollywood&#x27;s biggest and top-paid stars, was entitled to a percentage of box office receipts from the much-anticipated Marvel film, according to the suit filed in Los Angeles in July.</p><p>The superhero saga was originally due for a big-screen release last year, but was delayed multiple times due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was eventually released in July -- simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/07/12/21/box-office-marvels-black-widow-debuts-with-dazzling-80-million-in-theaters-60-million-on-disney-plus">Box office: Marvel&#x27;s &#x27;Black Widow&#x27; debuts with dazzling $80 million in theaters, $60 million on Disney Plus</a></li></ul><p>Johansson argued that the strategy constituted a breach of contract, costing her millions of dollars.</p><p>Disney countered that her complaint was without merit and derided her &quot;callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/07/30/21/disney-rejects-scarlett-johanssons-complaint-over-black-widow-streaming-release">Disney rejects Scarlett Johansson&#x27;s complaint over &#x27;Black Widow&#x27; streaming release</a></li></ul><p>But on Thursday, the two sides said they had settled their differences. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.</p><p>&quot;I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney,&quot; Johansson, 36, said in a statement sent to AFP.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m incredibly proud of the work we&#x27;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.&quot;</p><p>Alan Bergman, the chairman of Disney Studios Content, said he was &quot;pleased&quot; with the &quot;mutual agreement,&quot; and added that the company looked forward to working with Johansson on &quot;a number of upcoming projects.&quot;</p><p>Entertainment news outlet Deadline put the settlement&#x27;s value at &quot;more than $40 million,&quot; citing unnamed sources.</p><p>Rival studio Warner Bros was slammed last year for a similar decision to release all of its 2021 movies simultaneously in theaters and on its HBO Max platform.</p><p>Warner renegotiated many of its deals with stars and filmmakers, reportedly paying out $200 million to compensate for the loss of box office earnings.</p><p>ban/sst/mlm</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ybji16u608U?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Actress Scarlett Johansson and Disney announced Thursday they reached a settlement in her lawsuit over her compensation for 'Black Widow.'