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Elizabeth Olsen backs ‘Avengers’ co-star Scarlett Johansson amid Disney lawsuit

elizabeth olsen

In the midst of her continuing Black Widow lawsuit against Disney Studios, Scarlett Johansson has found support in her Avengers co-star Elizabeth Olsen.

Johansson has filed a lawsuit against Disney for breach of contract as a result of the studio’s choice to release Marvel Studios’ Black Widow on Disney Plus and in theatres at the same time.

“I think she’s so tough and literally when I read that I was like, ‘Good for you Scarlett’,” Olsen said in a joint Vanity Fair interview with Jason Sudeikis.

Attorneys for Johansson claimed that the star’s contract was broken when the studio decided not to release the film exclusively in theatres, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in July.

On July 9, the film Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson as the eponymous superhero, was released in theatres and on Disney’s streaming channel. With an opening weekend of 80 million dollars in North America and 78 million dollars overseas, the picture set a pandemic-era box office record. On Disney Plus, it also generated $60 million.

Johansson claims that the Disney Plus release snatched away potential theatregoers, depriving her of potential pay based on the film’s theatrical sales. Disney responded by calling the actor’s statements “sad and worrisome” and accusing her of “callous disregard” for the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts. The studio is now requesting that the case be transferred to private arbitration, which has sparked backlash on social media.

Olsen, who stars in Marvel’s Disney Plus series WandaVision, voiced concern about “little movies getting the chance to be seen in theatres” in the interview, but added that she was “not anxious on Scarlett’s behalf.”

“When it comes to actors and their earnings, I mean, that’s just, that’s just all contracts. So it’s either in the contract or it’s not,” she added. Sudeikis called Johansson’s fight against Disney “appropriately bada** and on brand”.

The actor, who plays in the drama Ted Lasso on Apple TV Plus, also spoke about finding a balance between streaming and theatrical productions.

“I just hope that it comes with creative autonomy as well, and that we don’t lose sight of that,” he remarked. Only Dave Bautista from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film franchise has previously commented on the subject.

“Told em they should’ve made a #Drax movie but noooooo! (sic)” Bautista, who plays Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had tweeted.

Alum of 30 Rock “#TeamScarlett,” Alec Baldwin tweeted, expressing his support for Johansson.

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