Disney president defends company's pandemic release strategy in response to Black Widow's appeal

Following a lawsuit over Disney's release of Marvel's "Black Widow" on its Premier Access streaming platform and the company's compensation to the film's star Scarlett Johansson, the head of Disney today defended the company's pay to actors and the decisions it made around various pandemic film releases.

During the company's third-quarter earnings call, Disney boss Bob Chapek explained the company's multi-pronged approach to releasing movies throughout the pandemic, which included theatrical exclusives, digital releases on Disney Plus, and a hybrid of the two, with movies releasing simultaneously on Disney's paid Premier Access platform on the same day as their theatrical debut. Premier Access was chosen as the distribution model for several highly anticipated releases last year, including Mulan, Cruella, and Black Widow.

“Bob Iger and I, along with the leaders of our creative and distribution teams, believe this is the right strategy because it allows us to reach the broadest possible audience," Chapek said on the call. "To reiterate, distribution decisions are made individually for each film based on global market conditions and consumer behavior. We will continue to leverage all available options, learn from the experience gained with each release, and innovate accordingly, while always doing what we believe is in the best interest of the films and the best interest of our audiences.”

While Black Widow and Johansson were not explicitly mentioned in Chapek's response, they appeared to double down on previous statements made in response to Johansson's lawsuit, which the company said last month was "without merit." As part of her complaint, Johansson argued that she lost a massive bonus tied to the film's box office performance and that Disney's decision to release it on Premier Access cut into her income.

Disney said it was "fully complying with Ms. Johansson's contract and, moreover, the release of Black Widow on Disney Plus through Premier Access significantly enhances her ability to earn additional compensation beyond the $20 million she has received to date."