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Hollywood heavyweight Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over an alleged breach of contract, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

Johansson is accusing the multinational conglomerate of costing her financially by releasing "Black Widow" on Disney+ the same day it is screening in cinemas.

The actress plays Natasha Romanoff, the eponymous hero in the latest Marvel flick.

A WSJ source estimates a loss of US$50 million (S$67.7 million), as Johansson's cut is based on box office performance.

"It's no secret that Disney is releasing films like 'Black Widow' directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company's stock price — and that it's hiding behind Covid-19 as a pretext to do so," Johansson's lawyer said in a statement to CNN Business.

CNN Business added that Johansson and her team had allegedly secured a theatre-only release with Disney prior to the pandemic, only for Disney to renege on the terms of the contract.

When the actress tried to renegotiate the terms after learning of the film's multi-platform release, she was reportedly ignored by both Marvel and Disney.

Disney responds

Disney has since responded publicly, saying that there is "no merit whatsoever" to the suit.

The company also revealed that Johansson has received US$20 million for her role so far:

"Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson's contract and furthermore, the release of 'Black Widow' on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20 million she has received to date."

Earnings for "Black Widow" reached S$80 million in the first week of its opening in North America, but performance dropped sharply for the second week.

Variety notes that the film could potentially be one of the lowest-grossing Marvel movies of all time.

Separately, Disney+ raked in S$60 million for the movie from its opening weekend alone.

Top image via Marvel