Marvel Studios will pay Scarlett Johansson a massive $15 million (more than Rs 100 crore) for the upcoming standalone Black Widow film, The Hollywood Reporter reported. This is on par with what Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth earned for the latest Captain America and Thor standalone films, as well as in this year’s Avengers: Infinity War, the publication said.

However, a Marvel spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter that it “disputes the accuracy of these numbers” and does not “publicly disclose salaries or deal terms” as a matter of policy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios does not offer large salaries to actors for their first standalone film. Robert Downey Jr was paid $500,000 for 2008’s Iron Man, the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Chadwick Boseman is believed to have been paid about $2 million for Black Panther, but his salary is likely be substantially hiked for the sequel, the publication said. Brie Larson will reportedly be paid approximately $5 million for Captain Marvel.

Natasha Romanoff /Black Widow is a Russian spy turned superhero who first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2010’s Iron Man 2. Since then, she has appeared in The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

Marvel was criticised for taking so long to give the Black Widow her own film. Directed by Cate Shortland, it will be the studio’s second female superhero-led film after Captain Marvel, which is scheduled to be released in the United States of America on March 8, 2019.

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Avengers: Infinity War (2018).