After Black Widow‘s long-awaited release in theaters and on Disney+ this past July, it came as a shock to many fans when Scarlet Johansson sued the company over her contract.

In the lawsuit, Johansson has claimed that Disney violated her contract with a focus on the Disney+ release, causing a cut in her own earnings. However, Disney fired back and stated that the contract didn’t have details about how  the film could be released.

Now, Variety has detailed that Disney has since filed to force the Black Widow lawsuit into private arbitration. Both teams of lawyers will meet to discuss whether Scarlett Johansson should be compensated millions more after the dual release of the Marvel film in theaters and on streaming services.

Disney’s attorney Daniel Petrocelli stated that the company did have a “wide theatrical release” and performed well during the pandemic. Black Widow grossed $80 domestically during its opening weekend, which topped box offices compared to other films. That number doesn’t include the revenue acquired from Disney+, whose receipts Disney has provided to determine Johansson’s backend participation.

However, Johansson’s contract is dated from 2017, prior to Disney+’s debut in 2019. Even with the streaming service in play, though, Johansson’s team has stated that Disney said the Marvel film would be released “like our other pictures.” This could be interpreted as a theatrical release only, instead of a dual release on Disney+ as well.

John Berlinski, Johansson’s attorney, detailed the team’s opposition to the private arbitration. He noted, “After initially responding to this litigation with a misogynistic attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now, predictably, trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration. Why is Disney so afraid of litigating this case in public? Because it knows that Marvel’s promises to give Black Widow a typical theatrical release ‘like its other films’ had everything to do with guaranteeing that Disney wouldn’t cannibalize box office receipts in order to boost Disney Plus subscriptions. Yet that is exactly what happened — and we look forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence that proves it.”

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on how the Black Widow lawsuit proceeds. In the meantime, stay tuned with All Ears for the latest Disney entertainment and news.

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