Scarlett Johansson made the shocking announcement on Thursday that she would be suing Disney over its day-and-date streaming release of “Black Widow” to Disney+, and now comes news that while stars like ScarJo lose out on millions of dollars when the studios opt to offer streaming on the same day at the theater release–the studio execs themselves do not. Plus, another A-list star is reportedly considering filing a similar suit Johansson’s. Ooh this is really heating up!
The decision to release blockbusters like “Black Widow” and “Cruella” with this day-and-date method is due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but Johansson’s suit said its the actors who end up losing out on the model.
How it works: the platforms make films available to subscribers on their digital platforms for an additional $30 or so on top of their monthly subscription fee.
With the old model, actors would be given additional points on the films depending on their box office performance. Scarlett, who is currently pregnant with her second child and first with husband Colin Jost, said that because of Disney’s decision to release the film on same day streaming, she will be out the $50M she might have received if the film was shown only in theaters. Yiks!
Since the filing, rumors within the entertainment community that Emma Stone was considering filing a similar suit over her role as the star of “Cruella,” which had a similar release.
Additionally, FoxNews reports that studio execs themselves receive the extra profit from the streaming release. That is so shady!
Avengers fans immediately reacted on the Twitterverse.
