Disney’s longtime lawyer has slammed Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit and suggested that the company wouldn’t bend to public pressure.
Daniel Petrocelli said Johansson’s $50 million lawsuit is a ‘highly orchestrated’ public relations stunt to get Disney ‘to write a check.’
“It is obvious that this is a highly orchestrated PR campaign to achieve an outcome that is not obtainable in the lawsuit,” he said.
“No amount of public pressure can change or obscure the explicit contractual commitments. The written contract is clear as a bell,” Petrocelli added.
The 36-year-old actress filed her lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming she lost out on over $50 million when Black Widow was released on Disney+ during its debut in theaters.
She claimed that she had been guaranteed that the film would have an exclusive theatrical release and that her salary is largely based on the box office performance.
The streaming service charges subscribers an additional $29.99 to watch the movie with Disney Premier Access.
Disney’s lawyer claimed the Disney Premier Access helped raise Johansson’s contractual income as the revenue from the streaming service is factored in when calculating box-office revenue to give bonuses to actors.
Petrocelli told Variety: “We treated Disney Premier Access like box office for the purposes of the bonus requirements in the contract. That only enhanced the economics for Ms. Johansson.”
Petrocelli also said that the contract called for the film to be released on a minimum of 1,500 screens but Disney released Black Widow on 9,000 screens in the U.S. and 30,000 worldwide.
Disney previously said in a statement to Daily Mail: “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract. Furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”
Petrocelli also defended the company’s decision to release Black Widow on Disney Premier Access because of the pandemic.
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