‘The Nun’ actor sues Warner Bros. over ‘The Conjuring’ merchandise profits
nme.comThe Conjuring film franchise, is suing Warner Bros. over claims the studio is hiding her “rightful share” to merchandise revenue profits.The actor, who plays Valak in 2016’s The Conjuring 2 and its subsequent spin-off The Nun, filed a complaint against Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and Scope Productions on Tuesday (August 15) in Los Angeles superior court.In the lawsuit (via The Hollywood Reporter), Aarons alleges she was paid $71,500 for her role in The Nun, along with a $175,000 bonus tied to the film’s box office performance and her share of profits from merchandise featuring her character.
The Nun grossed over $365million against a budget of $22million.According to the agreement cited in the complaint, Aarons was promised a “pro-rata share of 5 per cent of 50 per cent of the gross receipts” from the licensing of merchandising rights.The relevant merchandise, as detailed in the lawsuit, includes “toy dolls, decorations, pins, jewellery, t-shirts, socks, bedding, costumes, drinkware, and posters all using Ms Aarons’ likeness”.Aarons says Warner Bros.
sent her written statements showing her share of revenue which she alleges were “inconsistent with the extensive merchandising activities” for her character.
When she asked to elaborate on the figures, the studio sent a “spreadsheet that contained line items corresponding to only a fraction of the known licenses”.The complaint states: “Instead of accounting and paying in a transparent fashion, Warner Bros.
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