The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine at this point, frequently putting out new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order will recall that the Black Widow movie was released both ways, inspiring Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney. Now the actress/producer/director revealed a "good thing" that came out of this conflict with the studio.
Johansson is an OG Avenger, who spent years in the MCU prior to Natasha's death in Endgame. She finally got her solo movie Black Widow afterward, which offered much-needed backstory on the mysterious hero. But the pandemic complicated things, and the movie was released in both theaters and Disney+ simultaneously, seemingly resulting in Black Widow's disappointing box office. In a conversation with Variety at TIFF, ScarJo reflected on this situation years later. In her words:
What you’re describing, that instance was really a business affairs issue. [Laughs] You know, it was resolved. It’s a time of transition, it was certainly then, as we all try to understand how this shifting model would work. So, luckily, I could shoulder the burden of that and, hopefully, it’s better for everyone because of it. So that’s a good thing.
Talk about a healthy perspective. Rather than holding a grudge against The House of Mouse, it sounds like she's happy with how things were resolved related to Black Widow's release. The "business affair" was ultimately handled, and she still has a good relationship with the studio. Case in point: her developing Tower of Terror movie.
The main issue that inspire his lawsuit is that Johansson was entitled to part of the box office haul for Black Widow. But once the movie ended up on Disney+ early, that mean that she lost a ton of money. I mean, just look at how much Robert Downey Jr. made due to Endgame's box office. Luckily she had the means to pay for lawyers and reach an agreement with the studio.
Johansson had to advocate for herself here, and the Black Widow lawsuit was settled after a few months. She seems to have no ill-will toward the studio, especially as she's continuing to work with Disney properties. Of course, I have to wonder if this means we'll never see her in any more upcoming Marvel movies. That's certainly what fans are hoping for, especially in the next two Avengers movies.
As previously mentioned, Johansson is working on a Tower of Terror movie, which is having a long development process. She also recently celebrated her directorial debut Eleanor the Great, which has been making the rounds in film festivals like Venice and TIFF. Fans are hoping she pops up as part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast list, but only time will tell if that actually happens.
Johansson's tenure in the MCU, including Black Widow, are streaming now on Disney+. Eleanor The Great is expected to get its wide release on September 26th as part of the 2025 movie release list.
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