Elizabeth Olsen lends support to Scarlett Johansson in Disney lawsuit: ‘It’s either in the contract or it’s not’

• Olsen called Johannson "tough" in a new interview with Vanity Fair.
• Johannson is suing Disney over the online release of "Black Widow," which she says breaches contract.
• Olsen stars as Scarlet Witch in Marvel's first Disney+ show "Wandavision."
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Elizabeth Olsen offered words of support for Scarlett Johansson amid her lawsuit against Disney in a joint interview with Jason Sudeikis for Vanity Fair.

Last month, Johansson filed a lawsuit against the entertainment giant alleging that the simultaneous release of "Black Widow" on Disney+ as well as theaters violated her contract and compromised her total box-office earnings.

Johansson's salary was largely based on box office performances and a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Insider claimed that Johansson's contract for "Black Widow" said the film would be an exclusive movie theater release.

When asked about the lawsuit and the impact of COVID on streaming, Olsen, who starred as Scarlet Witch in three "Avengers" movies, "Captain America Civil War," and Marvel's first Disney+ show "Wandavision," told Vanity Fair that she was "worried" about the future of theatres and how they will survive if streaming becomes more popular.

As for the lawsuit she said: "But 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."

"I think she's so tough and literally when I read that I was like, 'good for you Scarlett.'" Olsen continued.

Sudeikis said he was "worried" about Johansson who is married to his "comedy brother" Colin Jost.

He said: "Well, I mean, it is appropriately bad-ass and on-brand."

Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Johansson was shorted an estimated $50 million because of the discrepancy while Disney earned $60 million from streaming sales of the movie. The theatrical release earned $158 million at the box office.

According to an email included in the lawsuit, Marvel's chief counsel Dave Galluzzi assured Johansson and her team in early 2019 that the film would have an exclusive theatrical release and Johansson would be consulted if those plans changed.

A company spokesperson told Insider that "there is no merit whatsoever" to Johansson's lawsuit and said the filing was "especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."

In early August, three of Hollywood's most prominent women advocacy groups condemned Disney's response in a joint statement.

The statement read: "While we take no position on the business issues in the litigation between Scarlett Johansson and The Walt Disney Company, we stand firmly against Disney's recent statement which attempts to characterize Johansson as insensitive or selfish for defending her contractual business rights."