Elizabeth Olsen supports Scarlett Johansson in her lawsuit against Disney for 'Black Widow': "Good for you"
The actress, who has played Natasha Romanoff for a decade at the UCM, has responded to the studio'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 companions 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 about studio strategies for releasing movies during the coronavirus pandemic. "I'm worried about a lot of things. I'm not worried on Scarlett's behalf," she begins. "But she worries about small movies getting a chance to be seen in theaters. That was something pre-COVID. 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 went through her mind 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 thought, 'Good for you, Scarlett
At the moment, Olsen is the only member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe who has spoken about the legal actions taken by Johansson. According to the actress' lawsuit, Disney is profiting off 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 premiere of the film in theaters. The House of Mickey Mouse did not change it when it made the decision for a hybrid release and Johansson alleges that the salary received, $20 million, was on the condition that the film be released exclusively in theaters.
"A MISOGYNOUS ATTACK"
In addition to Olsen's words, Johansson - through her legal team - has responded to Disney's demand that the case be submitted to arbitration. According to THR, the studio's lawyers have filed a motion through the Los Angeles Superior Court so that the claims of the association that handles the Johansson case (Periwinkle Entertainment) be studied confidentially. The day for arbitration could be held 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 house of Mickey Mouse, for its part, is firm in determining that there have been no irregularities. "In a futile effort to sidestep this inevitable end (and generate publicity through a public lawsuit), Johansson's team excluded Marvel as part of the lawsuit and replaced it with the Disney management company citing theories of contract interference... But the established principles do not allow such 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 theaters. "The contract expressly states that any theatrical distribution obligation is satisfied by distribution on 'no fewer than 1,500 screens.' Although Black Widow's release coincided with a global public health crisis, Marvel kept 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 breached the agreement and Disney induced or interfered with that breach are without 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 has been as follows: "After initially responding to this lawsuit with a misogynistic attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney, predictably, is trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration. Why is Disney so afraid to litigate this case in public? Because she knows that Marvel's promises to give Black Widow a mainstream theatrical release 'like their other movies' had a lot to do with ensuring that Disney cannibalized box office revenue to increase Disney+ subscriptions. That is exactly what happened and we look forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence to prove it."
Según el medio antes citado, Disney afirma que Viuda Negra ha recaudado -desde su estreno el 9 de julio hasta el 15 de agosto- más de 367 millones de dólares en todo el mundo y más de 125 millones de dólares en ingresos de 'streaming' y descargas.El estudio compara Viuda Negra con otros títulos del UCM afirmando que habría superado en su primer fin de semana la recaudación de títulos como Guardianes de la Galaxia, Ant-Man, Ant-Man y la Avispa y Thor: El mundo oscuro.
