Disney’s Cold War with Scarlett Johansson comes to an end

Scarlett Johansson’s icy relationship with Walt Disney has ended after the two parties reached a settlement over her lawsuit.

Johansson made headlines after suing Disney following the release of Black Widow on Disney+ the same day as a theatrical release. The same day/date release strategy hindered the film’s box office, according to Johansson. The film debuted to $85 million with an additional $60 million coming from the Disney+ premium access model.

Black Widow’s box office would taper off and result in a total gross of $220 million. There’s some extenuating circumstances at play most notably, Johansson’s character died in Avengers: Endgame, potentially diluting audience desire to see a two-hour flashback.

In a statement, Johansson said “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.”

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Disney Studios Content Chairman Alan Bergman echoed Johansson’s sentiment of future collaborations.

“I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow,” Alan Bergman 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.”

This might open up an avenue for Johansson to return as Black Widow in flashbacks or simply lend her voice to the Disney+ animated series What If…?

What do you think of this settlement?

Photo Credit: Disney

Grab Black Widow now on Blu-Ray on Amazon.