The covid-19 epidemic has gone a long way toward pushing Hollywood to alter the way it looks at movie releases, for better or worse—and how adjusting to that shift doesn't always work out well for all those involved in the process. While Disney continues to try to reach a settlement in its ongoing legal battle with Marvel's Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson behind closed doors, CEO Bob Chapek has spoken out about how the case demonstrates how the studio, and the entertainment industry as a whole, must adapt to the changing landscape of the industry.
According to Deadline, Chapek publicly addressed the situation with Johansson—who is suing Disney for an alleged breach of her contract regarding the simultaneous release of Black Widow in theatres and as part of Disney+'s "Premier Access" service earlier this year—during Goldman Sachs' 30th annual Communacopia Conference in New York City. Chapek did not specifically mention Johansson or her lawsuit (which the studio has dismissed as an attempt to take advantage of a poor studio worth $122.18 billion during a global pandemic and is now looking to settle privately), but he did acknowledge that the last few years have altered how studios should approach deals with talent.
“We're at a period of time when films were conceived with a single image of how the world will be, and honestly, that vision hasn't altered much,” Chapek said. “Keep in mind that those films were produced three or four years ago and that those agreements were signed three or four years ago, respectively. Then they are released in the midst of a worldwide epidemic, where the pandemic itself is driving a second dynamic, namely, the shifting behavior of consumers. Essentially, we're trying to fit a round peg in an oddly shaped hole right now, because we've got a contract that was conceptualized under a particular set of circumstances, but that really ends in a movie that is being released under a totally another set of circumstances.”
While Chapek is correct in stating that it goes beyond demonstrating the impact of the pandemic on Hollywood and the theatre industry, he is also correct in stating that it demonstrates the rate at which filmmaking has changed—it is not only hybrid releases that have come about, but it is also the platforms on which those releases are taking place first. The services that would become the main premiere platforms for tentpole movies for the studios behind them four years ago were still just big ideas in the works. Services like Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Paramount+ were still just big ideas in the works four years ago. Although Disney could have predicted and prepared for a one-two punch in the form of the move toward studio-owned streaming and the desire for audiences to stay at home to limit the spread of a deadly virus when deals for movies like Black Widow were first being drawn up, the House of Mouse was unable to do so.
However, it is simply an excuse in the sense that no one, Disney or otherwise, could have predicted the status of the world in 2020-2021. It does not absolve Disney of the manner in which it first attempted to resolve Johansson's complaints, nor does it address what the company intends to do moving forward in this new normal. However, Chapek at least acknowledged what should be a fundamental idea for Disney at this point: that the company should be doing what is right by the individuals who work for the company. At the end of the day, we'll keep it in mind when we negotiate our future talent agreements, prepare for it, and make certain that it's taken into consideration. But for the time being, we're in a kind of middle ground where we're trying to do the right thing by the talent, and I believe the talent is trying to do the right thing by us, and we're just finding out how to bridge the gap,” Chapek said. « Ultimately, we think that our talent is our most valuable asset, and we will continue to believe so, and, as we have in the past, we will pay them properly in accordance with the terms of the contract that they committed to with us. »
However, I would suggest that you refrain from stating that your disgruntled movie stars have a "callous disregard" for the times in which we live as a good starting point for believing that those stars are your most valuable asset, but then again, I'm not worth $122.18 billion, so what does it matter to me?
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