Scarlett Johansson sues Disney over streaming of Black Widow

Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney - accusing the company of breaching her contract when it offered the film Black Widow on its streaming service at the same time as it was released in theatres. Her earnings are based partly on the Black Widow's box office takings and, in court papers, she said the movie was intended for initial release exclusively in cinemas. Instead, the dual release had resulted in her earning less than she would have otherwise, she argued. She believes also that Disney sacrificed her film in order to draw more subscribers to the streaming platform, perhaps in the hopes of getting them interested in the variety of Disney+ shows.

Disney have currently attempted to dismiss the hybrid release as a necessity, however still plans on releasing other Phase Four films with a theatrical run before adding them to Disney+. It will be interesting to see the developments of this case and what it might mean for hybrid releases of other films.