Scarlett Johansson to earn $15 million for her Black Widow solo feature

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Can you hear that? It's the sound of AVENGERS and GHOST IN THE SHELL actress Scarlett Johansson singing along to "For the Love of Money" by the soulful funk trio The O'Jays. Oh, but what's the reason for Johansson's elation, you ask? It might have something to do with her landing a $15 million dollar payday for an upcoming standalone film featuring the Marvel superhero Black Widow. So yeah, I think she's got a pretty good reason for groovin' out.

Before we press on, I should mention that this figure comes from The Hollywood Reporter, who was then contacted by a Marvel rep who stated that, "Marvel Studios disputes the accuracy of these numbers, and as a matter of policy, we never publicly disclose salaries or deal terms." You can make of that what you will. In the meantime, I'll be drawing up my proposal to Johansson's people to perhaps invest in the Bank of Steve. It's a standup organization, I assure you

After doing a bit of math, we find that her announced salary for BLACK WIDOW equals what Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth earned for playing Captain America and Thor, respectively, and that's just for AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Seriously, now you have to go back and pile the $15 million they'd each earned for CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVAL WAR and THOR: RAGNAROK. Not too shabby, eh? Well, it appears as if the time has finally come for Natasha Romanoff to catch Cap on his left, as she runs to the bank right alongside her patriotic partner and the God of Thunder.

With all of these impressive numbers floating about, it's easy to forget that these are not the totals that Marvel's main players have been earning all along. Hell, Robert Downey Jr. only banked $500,000 for the first IRON MAN (while Johansson only walked away with a seven-figure check for her role in the first AVENGERS movie). However, as time marches on, and the MCU continues to grow its hero base, the practice of securing top-notch talent with the offer of an impressive payday has steadily become standard practice. After all, Chadwick Boseman had earned a cool $2 million for his BLACK PANTHER solo adventure, and Brie Larson is in midst of earning $5 million for her role as CAPTAIN MARVEL – which comes part and parcel with a 7-picture deal.

Between you and me, I think Disney and Marvel can take the heat. I mean, their films make a stupid amount of money at the box office, and that's without factoring in the earnings from add-on sales related to the film. Trust me, Marvel sells a lot of lunch boxes, so to speak.

BLACK WIDOW is currently in development with director Cate Shortland (LORE, BERLIN SYNDROME) at the helm.