It was just announced that Scarlett Johansson will be suing Disney over a breach in her contract. This is a very major deal as Scarlett Johansson has played a major role in the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which is owned by Disney. Apparently this breach in contract involves the most recent Marvel movie titled Black Widow which is starring Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow herself. I think that this breach in contract was an awful move made by Disney, it basically takes away money in bonuses for Scarlett Johansson while also boosting the Disney + streaming service. All of this together is a selfish move by Disney and it is clear that this move was done for clear bottom line level profit.
Another major effect of this suit could be a change in how major actors negotiate their contracts. Scarlett Johansson is currently set to lose a lot of money because her bonuses are based on box office success, in the meanwhile Disney is taking many of the people who would have seen the movie in theatres and getting them to watch the movie on Disney +. I have a strong feeling that actors such as Scarlett Johansson will start to ask for profits based on streamed views. Without this Disney and other companies will be able to make a lot of money without the same compensation shared with the actors. I think this whole suit will help set a precedent for how actors will interact with these companies moving forward.
The final aspect of this event that I think needs to be highlighted is just how beneficial it was for Disney. Disney was able to save money by not paying extra in bonuses to Scarlett Johansson, as well as make the same amount of money through Disney +, all while showing growth that severely boosted their stock price. From a purely business standpoint it is clear to see how this was a beneficial move for Disney, although it also makes both Disney and their subsidiary Marvel look bad while also deflating the success of the movie based on box office success. Overall I think Disney will come to regret this move and I think that Scarlett Johansson will win this case and cost Disney more money than they might have saved by releasing the movie on Disney + early.
