How Shang-Chi Helped Scarlett Johansson's Disney and Black Widow Lawsuit
10/03/2021 11:01 pm EDT
Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney was something Hollywood insiders thought would change the course of talent contracts forever as streaming continues to become more commonplace amongst audiences. The suit was ultimately settled out of court with both sides reaching an agreement on what to pay Johansson after lost box office revenues by placing Black Widow on Disney+ the same day it hit theaters.
As it turns out, the box office performance of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may have been a catalyst in helping push Disney to settle with Johansson and her team. According to industry insider Matthew Belloni, Shang-Chi's stellar gross helped Black Widow likely would have earned more money if it was kept exclusively as a theatrical release.
"It didn't help Disney's overall cause that Shang-Chi, a 'lesser' Marvel title starring a largely unknown actor that was released over the usually dormant Labor Day weekend, has stormed past Black Widow at the box office," Belloni wrote on his blog. "The difference? Shang-Chi was a theatrical exclusive, of course. So that's a point for Johansson."
Now that the two sides have settled, Johansson will work with Disney once again on her upcoming Tower of Terror movie.
"I'm very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow," Disney Studios chief Alan said in a statement. "We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney's Tower of Terror." Johansson added: "I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come."
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz, with Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Charles Newirth serving as executive producers. David Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton & Andrew Lanham wrote the screenplay for the film, which is now in theaters. The film is due out on home media release on November 12th.
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