When Disney released Black Widow both in theaters and on its streaming platform, it seemed clear that piracy would play a role.
On the one hand, the arrival of streaming platforms has made it possible for users to enjoy a huge amount of content, many of them exclusive, in the same place and in good quality, although, of course, it can always be improved.
However, this also made it easier to create false copies and distribute them illegally among those who, for some reason or another, have not joined any of the streaming platforms that exist, now, on the market.
And is that, without a doubt, one of the biggest problems in the entertainment industry is piracy, a “company” that, despite the various efforts that have been made, continues to grow.
According to official data, only in Mexico, eight out of 10 people consume apocryphal products, a practice that generates a loss of more than 43,000 million pesos annually.
Now, Disney is suffering the consequences of that strategy that even led to a legal confrontation with the protagonist of Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson.
According to information from Deadline, the company has lost an income close to $ 600 million due to piracy.
According to the publication, the feature film has been pirated more than 20 million times in the month of August alone, a period in which, as we will recall, it premiered both in theaters and on the Disney Plus platform.
To begin with, the premiere of Black Widow took place in a context still dominated by Covid-19, a period in which few in the world enjoyed its vaccination scheme, a powerful enough reason not to go to movie theaters. and stay home.
Likewise, another of the reasons that have had an impact on piracy being placed above the company was the high price that users of the platform had to pay to access the content.
To mention an example, in the United States, the tape had a cost of 30 dollars and in Mexico its price was 329 pesos, a figure that many decided not to pay and, failing that, to look for other “alternatives.”
Disney vs. Johansson
After the premiere of Black Widow, which took place on July 9, the leading actress, Scarlett Johansson, sued the company for breach of contract, because, according to the star’s statements, Disney did not respect the period of exclusivity in theaters.
In addition, through his lawyers, it was mentioned that Johansson lost at least $ 50 million after Disney uploaded the film to its streaming service, Disney +.
Of course, after these statements, the company’s response was immediate and described as regrettable the actions taken by the actress in the midst of a context as complicated as the pandemic, ensuring that, even, Johansson received 20 million euros. dollars in advance.
Disney’s argument was that, in fact, it did deliver on what it promised, because, given the global circumstances, the film could be released. However, the issue was that the premiere contemplated more days of exclusivity in theaters, a fact that, without a doubt, would have generated more profits than those recorded.
In the end, both the company and the actress reached an agreement and the lawsuit ended, apparently, on good terms.
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