Bonnie Aarons suspects the studio is hiding the true amount of money she made from merchandise exploiting her image.
Warner Bros. Discovery has been accused of shortening to Bonnie Aarons her share of merchandising revenue for playing the demon nun in the universe of The spell.
The complaint names Warners, New Line Cinemas and Scope Productions, who reportedly reached a deal with Aarons to play the nun in the franchise. She was paid $71,500 for her role in the nun, which raised more than $365 million against a budget of $22 million, according to the complaint. Her contract included a $175,000 bonus tied to box office performance as well as a share of the profits from merchandise featuring her character.
“Rather than transparently accounting and paying, Warner Bros. obscures and conceals the actual amount of Ms. Aarons’ legitimate share of merchandising revenue, all while continuing to exploit her,” the lawsuit filed Tuesday in court states. Upper Los Angeles.
The agreement states that she is entitled to a “prorated 5% share of 50% of gross receipts” from the licensing of merchandising rights.
Aarons says Warner sent her written statements showing her share of the income that she said were “inconsistent with the extensive business activities” of her character. When she was asked to open her books, the studio sent her a “spreadsheet containing line items for only a fraction of the known licenses,” she says.
The complaint alleges breach of contract and breach of the implicit covenant of good faith and fair dealing, which prevents acting in a manner that undermines the benefits for the counterparty of an agreement.
The Nun within the universe of The Conjuring
Aarons’ demonic nun, who first appeared in the sequel to The spellgenerated the derivative franchise, the nun, as well as a line of merchandise, including dolls, jewelry, and posters. Cast members “whose name or likeness is used on the particular merchandise item” appear to have been awarded a share of the merchandise revenue, according to the text of the settlement cited in the lawsuit.
Source: Ambito
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