Elizabeth Olsen supports Scarlett Johansson in her lawsuit to Disney for 'Black Widow': "Good for you
The actress, who has played Natasha Romanoff for a decade at the MCU, has responded to the study's demand that the case be submitted to arbitration by calling her first response a "misogynistic attack."
Scarlett Johansson has received the first public support from one of her colleagues from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the interpreter sued Disney for the streaming premiere of Black Widow. It has been Elizabeth Olsen, the one in charge of giving life to Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch in the franchise, who has spoken about what happened with Johansson.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Olsen has commented on her concerns regarding studios' strategies to release films during the coronavirus pandemic. "I'm worried about a lot of things. I'm not worried on behalf of Scarlett," she begins. "But she worries me that small movies will get a chance to be seen in theaters. That was already a pre-COVID thing. I like going to the movies and I don't necessarily want to see an Oscar nominee or a blockbuster," she adds.
In the face of what she thought of when she read that Johansson had sued Disney, Olsen has said the following:
I think she's very strong and literally when I read it I was like, 'Good for you Scarlett
At the moment, Olsen is the only member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe who has spoken out about the legal actions taken by Johansson. According to the actress' lawsuit, Disney is profiting at the expense of her work by training Black Widow in theaters and on Disney + (via Premium Access at additional cost) simultaneously. The interpreter's contract was made before the coronavirus crisis and only reflected the film's theatrical release. The House of Mickey Mouse did not change it when it made the decision of a hybrid release and Johansson alleges that the salary received, 20 million dollars, was on the condition that the film be released exclusively in theaters.
"A MISOGINE ATTACK"
In addition to Olsen's words, Johansson - through her team of lawyers - has responded to Disney's demand that the case be submitted to arbitration. According to THR, the firm's attorneys have filed a motion through the Los Angeles Superior Court for the claims of the association handling Johansson's (Periwinkle Entertainment) case to be studied confidentially. The day for the arbitration could take place on October 15. With this movement, the study hopes that the resolution of the lawsuit will be carried out privately. Disney has also indicated that Johansson has sued Disney and not Marvel for misrepresenting the facts.
The Mickey Mouse house, for its part, is firm in determining that there have been no irregularities. "In a futile effort to circumvent this inevitable end (and generate publicity through a public lawsuit), Johansson's team excluded Marvel as part of the complaint and replaced it with Disney's management company citing theories of contract interference ... But the established principles do not allow this misrepresentation of the facts. "
On the other hand, the study also points out that there was no obligation for the premiere to be made exclusively in cinemas. "The contract expressly states that any theatrical distribution obligation is satisfied by distribution to 'no fewer than 1,500 screens.' Although the premiere of Black Widow coincided with a global public health crisis, Marvel delivered on its promises."
"While Marvel and Disney share Periwinkle's frustration regarding the challenges associated with releasing films during an ever-changing public health crisis, Periwinkle's claims that Marvel violated the agreement and Disney induced that breach or interfered have no Merit There is nothing in the agreement that requires a 'general theatrical release' to also be an 'exclusive theatrical release, "the studio adds.
The response from the actress's lawyers was as follows: "After initially responding to this litigation with a misogynistic attack on Scarlett Johansson, Disney is predictably trying to hide its misconduct in confidential arbitration. Why is Disney so scared to litigate this case in public? Because she knows that Marvel's promises to give Black Widow a mainstream theatrical release 'like her other movies' had a lot to do with ensuring that Disney would cannibalize box office revenue to boost Disney + subscriptions. That is exactly what happened and we hope to present the overwhelming evidence that proves it. "
According to the aforementioned media, Disney claims that Black Widow has raised - from its premiere on July 9 to August 15 - more than 367 million dollars worldwide and more than 125 million dollars in streaming revenue and downloads
