99% of people would be thrilled at the prospect of a $15 million payday plus some additional kick backs further down the line, but obviously not all of us get to be in the same position as Scarlett Johansson, the A-list actress who recently headlined a $200 million blockbuster hailing from the most commercially successful franchise in the history of cinema.
Johansson is dominating the headlines after suing Disney for breach of contract after her deal to star as Natasha Romanoff in Black Widow wasn’t renegotiated or updated to reflect the loss of earnings brought on by the Marvel Cinematic Universe prequel being made available on Disney Plus Premier Access the same day it hit theaters.
The Mouse House responded by effectively calling the two-time Academy Award nominee greedy, referring to her decision to pursue legal action as sad, distressing, callous and meritless to name but a few choice words, while also pointing out she’s already pocketed $20 million from the Marvel Cinematic Universe prequel.
A more detailed report offers that Johansson could have been poised to earn anywhere up to $50 million from Black Widow, thanks in part to the standard method of including profit participation points and percentage bonuses that would have taken effect when the espionage actioner began ticking off a series of box office milestones.
As things stand, though, Black Widow is currently the second lowest-grossing installment in the MCU’s history, and it’s still over $60 million away from surpassing Captain America: The First Avenger. Looking at how quickly theatrical revenue has nosedived in the space of just three weeks, with theater owners blaming Disney Plus for the drop-off, you can understand why she’s so pissed off about the whole thing.
