After Black Widow's release plans changed, Scarlett Johansson's team reportedly tried to negotiate a deal with Disney for the star to receive $100 million for the movie.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, "the calculation was based on what the star would receive in a hypothetical global box-office take of $1.2 billion," a sum that was estimated based on Marvel's past theatrical releases before the COVID-19 pandemic, plus Johansson's $20 million starting salary for her titular role in the movie.
The actress' representatives allegedly approached Disney with the $100 million figure as a "starting bid" after learning that Black Widow would be released as a Premier Access movie on Disney Plus the same day as it hit theaters — however, the report states that negotiations didn't get off the ground as Disney never made a counteroffer.
Johansson decided to sue Disney over the alleged Black Widow contract breach after the movie debuted simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access, and Disney and Marvel were "unresponsive" to negotiations despite Johansson's contract reportedly assuring her that the movie would be released exclusively in theaters.
According to an email within the lawsuit, highlighted again in the recent WSJ report, Marvel Chief Counsel Dave Galluzzi is said to have told Johansson's representatives that there would need to be discussions if plans changed "as the deal is based on a series of (very large) box office bonuses" for Johansson.
The report notes that one of the reasons contract negotiations fell apart was because of uncertainty over who should lead the discussion. Disney CEO Bob Chapek was reportedly focused on pandemic-related company matters and passed the deal-making power to others in the organization, but Bob Iger and Alan Horn also reportedly stayed out of the dispute.
Disney later responded to Johansson's lawsuit, claiming they had "fully complied with Ms. Johansson's contract" and that Black Widow's release on Disney Plus Premier Access had actually "significantly enhanced" the star's ability to earn "additional compensation on top of the $20M" she received as her starting salary for Natasha Romanoff's solo outing.
For more on this story, go inside the Scarlett Johansson/Disney lawsuit and what it could mean for the future of Hollywood.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.