The Marvel Cinematic Universe has always been a dominant force in the film industry, and that was the case until a few years ago. While it might have been struggling to captivate audiences lately (although the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine seems more than promising), MCU entries are generally expected to rake millions at the global box office.
While the cause of its recent deflated performance might or might not be its own doing, experts believe Disney is solely to blame when it comes to one underperforming film: Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. And it seems the actress might be right after all in her criticism of Kevin Feige and the MCU leadership.
Marvel Lost Millions Due to Black Widow’s Simultaneous Hybrid Release
Marvel’s Black Widow might not have been as astonishing a feat as per its critical reviews, but those who had been waiting for Scarlett Johansson‘s solo venture into the superhero universe were pleased. Featuring the back story of the prevalent character, Black Widow had enough marvelous elements to make it an interesting watch.
Yet, the film was also quite controversial, thanks to Disney’s decision to simultaneously release it on their streaming platform, Disney+. Forced to make such a decision due to the struggling box office thanks to the pandemic, the film eventually ended up making $379 million worldwide (via The Numbers) and more than $125 million in online revenue (via Forbes).
As Scarlett Johansson had alleged in her lawsuit against Disney (see Forbes), the film did lose millions due to the hybrid streaming as per experts. The National Association of Theatre Owners had stated, back when the movie was released, that the film underperformed at the box office and could have secured a much larger opening weekend and second-week gross than what it eventually managed (via Variety).
Furthermore, as per a report by Deadline, the film was one of the most pirated movies of that time (via TorrentFreak), which reportedly cost the film an estimated $600 million loss in Disney+ PVOD revenue alone, not to mention the overall loss it has incurred due to the simultaneous release on the streaming platform.
Scarlett Johansson was Right in Her Criticism of Marvel Leadership
Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow might have been a failure in its entirety (see Observer), but it was certainly a loss for the actress and the film overall. Hence, a lawsuit filed by the actress against the production house followed suit, where she alleged the studio had sacrificed her movie’s box office potential just to give its streaming platform an edge (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The high-profile lawsuit was eventually settled and the terms of the deal remain undisclosed to this day. The actress was in fact right in her criticism after all and the above-mentioned data does prove that the film could have raked millions more if hadn’t been for its hybrid release. Yet, the actress does not hold a grudge anymore, as she revealed in her latest interview with The New York Times.
I don’t hold a grudge. I think it was just poor judgment and poor leadership at that time. It just felt very unprofessional to me, the entire ordeal.
Explaining that she had felt massively disappointed back then, the actress seems to have made peace with what happened, even though fans might still be disappointed. While the debate regarding Black Widow’s release might have ended, the debate surrounding simultaneous streaming and theatrical releases continues to be a relevant and complex issue for the future of movie distribution.
Black Widow can be streamed on Disney+.
