Walt Disney said it has taken in $125 million (R1.9 billion) in online revenue from “Black Widow” and said the picture, which prompted a lawsuit from star Scarlett Johansson, has outperformed other Marvel films. New numbers were revealed in court filings Friday in which Disney asked for Johansson’s suit to be sent to arbitration in New York rather than conducted in a civil trial in Los Angeles, as the actress is seeking.
Johansson sued Disney last month saying she had been cheated out of money due because the company released the film simultaneously in theaters and online. Johansson said her compensation was heavily dependent on bonuses based on theater ticket sales and that the online release ate into that revenue.
Disney countered, saying the actress had already been paid $20 million for her work in the film. In one of the Friday filings, the company said it offered to include online revenue in the calculations for her bonuses, although it is not obligated to do so.
“Why is Disney so afraid of litigating this case in public?,” Johansson’s attorney John Berlinski said in an e-mailed statement Saturday.
“Because it knows that Marvel’s promises to give Black Widow a typical theatrical release ‘like its other films’ had everything to do with guaranteeing that Disney wouldn’t cannibalize box office receipts in order to boost Disney+ subscriptions. Yet that is exactly what happened — and we look forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence that proves it
In other news – Production company dumps Somizi’s reality show
Legend Manqele, the founder of Bar Leader, announced that his production company would no longer be involved in the upcoming season of Living The Dream With Somizi.
Manqele’s admission comes after he was accused of leaking the damning audio in which reality star Somizi‘s estranged husband Mohale Motaung shared previously unseen details about their marriage’s trials and tribulations. Learn more
Source: mybroadband
