Disney's unprecedented move in Scarlett Johansson legal battle

Scarlett Johansson in a scene from Black Widow. Photo / Marvel Studios-Disney via AP

Disney is not backing down in its legal battle with actress Scarlett Johansson.

The entertainment giant revealed streaming numbers in its ongoing litigation with Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson, a rare move for the company.

Last Friday, Disney shared the revenue figures for Black Widow in a bid to mitigate the lawsuit.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Disney revealed how much streaming revenue Black Widow earned.

"Disney says that Black Widow was put on more than 9000 screens in the US, allegedly satisfying its obligation the film screen on no less than 1500 (again, Johansson asserts it had to be exclusive), and according to the latest filing, as of August 15, Black Widow has grossed more than US$367 million in worldwide box-office receipts and more than US$125m in streaming and download retail receipts."

The Decider reports the company hardly ever shares exact streaming numbers with the public - and the move represents how determined the media company is to settle the dispute with the actress.

Disney declared Black Widow's opening weekend was a success, and added in the court filing it did better than other Marvel films Thor: The Dark World, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Guardians of The Galaxy.

Last week, Johansson's lawyers hit back at Disney and called the company "misogynistic" over its response to the actress' lawsuit. The company responded to Johannson's lawsuit with a fiery statement claiming her legal actions displayed a "callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic".

The actress alleged in her lawsuit the company breached her contract when it released the film on Disney+. Disney released the film worldwide via the streaming service's Premier Access tier for an additional fee ($39.99 in New Zealand), the same day the movie was released in theatres.

"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," her lawyer John Berlinski said in a statement published by People.

"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 cannibalise box office receipts in order to boost Disney+ subscriptions.

"Yet that is exactly what happened — and we look forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence that proves it."