More stars to follow after Scarlett Johansson’s indictment

More Hollywood stars are expected to follow suit after Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney. Entertainment attorney Matthew Belloni suspects her move “could open doors wide open” and that other actors and actresses will take action against the movie’s powerful giants, Mail Online reports.

Johansson sued Disney after it emerged that the company was releasing the new movie Black Widow, in which she is starring, in theaters and through the streaming service simultaneously. And the 36-year-old actress had agreed to show the film exclusively in cinemas first, because part of the profits would go to her. But now that viewers can also watch Disney+ at home, that amount is much less. And because this agreement was included in Scarlett’s contract, the actress did not leave it at that.

Belloni thinks Johansson is an example for other actors. Like Black Widow, for example, Cruella, starring Emma Stone, was also released on Disney+ around the same time the movie hit US theaters. Emily Blunt, who currently stars in Jungle Cruise, had previously objected to Paramount’s decision to release her movie A Quiet Place Part Two on streaming service Paramount+ ahead of schedule. On Friday, actor Gerard Butler has already filed a lawsuit against Nu Image/Millennium Films. He claims to owe at least $10 million in profits for the 2013 action film Olympus Has Fallen.

Disney also described Scarlett’s case as “sad and disturbing”. According to the company, Johansson’s act is an “insensitive disregard for the horrific and long-term global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic” and she has already received $20 million for her work. So she had already received “adequate compensation” for releasing the movie on Disney+.