Disney has become entangled in the long-running legal battle over rights to an Oscar-winning visual effects technology, and its profits on “Beauty and the Beast,” the year's top-grossing movie so far, and two other blockbusters are in potential jeopardy.

Rearden, a company founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Perlman, on Monday sued Disney in U.S. district court in San Francisco, alleging copyright, patent and trademark infringement stemming from Disney's use of a facial-capture technology in the March blockbuster “Beauty and the Beast,” 2014's “Guardians of the Galaxy” and 2015's “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” The three films have collectively taken in more than $3.5 billion in global box office.

Rearden is seeking injunctions to stop Disney from selling or showing these movies until the suit is resolved, and is also seeking orders to destroy all infringing copies, in addition to financial damages.