You won’t believe these 5 iconic films fought shocking legal battles

You might have watched the movies, but you might be unaware of the messy realities behind them.

Let’s delve into some of Hollywood's biggest hits that faced intense legal battles that will blow your mind.

Here are 5 iconic films that were involved in lawsuits:

1. The Revenant

The 2016 movie faced several lawsuits and controversies related to working conditions.

One notable lawsuit involved a screenwriter, Alejandro Iñárritu's collaborator, who claimed he wasn't properly credited for his work on the movie's script.

3. Avatar

One of James Cameron's highly budgeted movies was involved in a lawsuit.

Released in 2009, the movie has had multiple lawsuits filed against it by writers claiming the movie plagiarised its script.

A Canadian restaurant owner named Emil Malak claimed Avatar was a rip-off of a script he wrote in 1998 titled Terra Incognita, which he sent to Lightstorm Entertainment back in 2002.

However, the court ruled in favour of the filmmaker, stating that while both works shared similar themes and ideas, there wasn't enough substantial similarity to prove copyright infringement.

3. Borat

Released in 2006, the movie sparked several lawsuits, at that time, due to its satirical content.

Among many lawsuits, one of the notable ones includes the residents shown in the movie suing for being misrepresented as backward and incestuous, however, the lawsuit was later dismissed.

The sequel, Borat Subsequent Movie, also faced multiple lawsuits.

4. Black Widow

Black Widow faced legal woes by the leading actress aka Scarlett Johansson.

Her legal battle with Disney over the 2021 film centered on the movie's simultaneous release on Disney+ and in theaters.

Johansson claimed this move breached her contract, potentially costing her millions in earnings.

The dispute was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount the same year in September, with both parties' expressing willingness to collaborate in the future. 

5. Black Swan

The 2010 movie was sued by interns in 2011 over non-payment.

Eric Glatt and Alexander Footman, sued Fox Searchlight Pictures, claiming they were exploited and performed tasks that could have been done by paid employees.

The court ruled in favour of the interns, leading to a $6.4 million settlement.