Scarlett Johansson sues Disney over ‘Black Widow’ streaming release
寡姐起诉迪士尼:《黑寡妇》网播违反合约
Scarlett Johansson is suing Walt Disney.
斯嘉丽·约翰逊正在起诉迪士尼公司。
The Marvel star filed a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging her contract was breached when the company released “Black Widow” on its streaming service Disney+ at the same time it debuted in theaters.
7月29日,这位漫威明星向洛杉矶高等法院提起诉讼,指控该公司在《黑寡妇》在院线上映的同时,安排在其流媒体服务Disney+上线,违反了合同。
Johansson claims her agreement with Disney’s Marvel Entertainment guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release for her solo film, and her salary was based, in large part, on the box-office performance.
斯嘉丽声称,她与迪士尼旗下漫威公司达成协议,承诺她的个人电影只在院线上映,而她的薪酬在很大程度上基于票房表现。
“It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like ‘Black Widow’ directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company’s stock price – and that it’s hiding behind Covid-19 as a pretext to do so,” John Berlinski, an attorney at Kasowitz Benson Torres who represents Johansson, told CNBC.
律师约翰·贝林斯基告诉美国消费者新闻与商业频道:“迪士尼将《黑寡妇》等影片直接发布到Disney+上,以增加订阅用户,从而提振公司股价,这已经不是什么秘密了——而且它正以新冠病毒为借口这样做。”他是卡索维茨·本森·托雷斯律师事务所的律师,也是斯嘉丽的代理律师。
Once Johansson heard that “Black Widow” would be released on streaming and in theaters on the same day, she attempted to negotiate with Marvel. Disney and Marvel did not respond, the lawsuit claims.
斯嘉丽听说《黑寡妇》将在流媒体和影院同天上映时,她试图与漫威公司进行谈判。该诉讼称,迪士尼和漫威没有回应。
“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” Disney said in a statement Thursday. “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20 [million] she has received to date.”
7月29日,迪士尼在一份声明中表示:“这场诉讼毫无意义,尤其令人悲伤和痛苦,因为这是在无视新冠疫情造成的可怕而长期的全球影响,迪士尼完全遵守斯嘉丽女士的合同。此外,在目前斯嘉丽已收到的2000万美元(约合人民币1.3亿元)片酬基础之上,《黑寡妇》在Disney+高级访问计划中上映,大大提高了她的分红。”
Similar contract issues have cropped up in the last year, as studios have shifted their release strategies during the pandemic.
因为电影公司在新冠疫情期间改变了发行策略,去年也出现了类似的合同纠纷。
Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins were reportedly each paid $10 million after Warner Bros. decided to release “Wonder Woman 1984” in theaters and on HBO Max in December. Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake were also rumored to have been seeking bonuses after Universal’s “Trolls World Tour” was released on video on demand in early 2020 instead of theatrically.
据报道,在华纳兄弟公司去年12月决定在影院和HBO Max上映《神奇女侠1984》后,盖尔·加朵和帕蒂·詹金斯每人获得了1000万美元(约合人民币6500万元)的片酬。也有传闻称,由于环球影片的《魔发精灵2》在2020年初以视频点播形式上映,而不是院线上映,安娜·肯德里克和贾斯汀·汀布莱克一直在争取分红。
Disney long held off on releasing major titles like “Black Widow” after the pandemic decimated the movie theater industry. Theaters around the world were closed temporarily to prevent the spread of Covid-19. But as coronavirus restrictions eased, vaccination rates rose and the industry began to bounce back, Disney opted to debut new blockbusters in theaters and through Disney+ for $30 simultaneously.
在新冠疫情摧毁影院行业之后,迪斯尼一直推迟发行《黑寡妇》这样的大片。世界各地的影院暂时关闭以防止新冠病毒传播。但随着防疫措施放宽、疫苗接种率上升以及该行业开始复苏,迪士尼选择同时在影院和在Disney+以30美元(约合人民币194元)的价格上映新片。
Disney said this hybrid release model was a temporary pandemic fix.
迪士尼表示,这一混合发行模式是一种暂时性的应对疫情方案。
Johansson, who has become a staple in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, negotiated her contract to include a percentage of “Black Widow’s” theatrical gross. Before the pandemic, the film was expected to secure a hefty sum at the box office.
斯嘉丽·约翰逊已经是漫威电影宇宙中的主角,她通过谈判签订了合同,将获得《黑寡妇》票房总收入的部分分成。在新冠疫情之前,这部电影有望获得巨额票房收入。
However, the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on ticket sales, as cases continue to surge, and the additional availability of the film in the home video market meant it only hauled in $80 million during its opening weekend. While that figure pales in comparison to other Marvel features, it remains the highest opening figure of any film released after March 2020.
然而,由于病例持续激增,疫情对门票销售造成了影响,而这部电影在家庭影院市场上映,导致其首映周末票房只有8000万美元(约合人民币5.2亿元)。虽然这一数字与其他漫威电影相形见绌,但它仍然是2020年3月之后上映的所有电影中首映票房最高的一部。
Domestically, the film has garnered a little over $150 million during its first three weeks in theaters. Disney reported “Black Widow” tallied $60 million from sales on Disney+ during its opening weekend, but has not shared additional information about its digital performance.
在美国国内,《黑寡妇》上映前三周的票房收入超过1.5亿美元(约合人民币9.1亿元)。迪士尼报道称,其首映周末在Disney+上票房收入为6000万美元(约合人民币3.9亿元),但并未透露其线上票房的更多信息。
Previous Marvel films have averaged more than $100 million in ticket sales during their opening weekends and nearly $1 billion over the course of their theatrical runs.
此前漫威电影在首映周末平均票房超过1亿美元(约合人民币6.5亿元),平均总票房接近10亿美元(约合人民币65亿元)。
Notably, only eight of Marvel’s 24 theatrical releases have grossed less than $700 million at the global box.
值得注意的是,漫威的24部电影作品中,只有8部全球票房收入不到7亿美元(约合人民币45亿元)。