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- Precautionary measure: Warner Bros. could disrupt the screenings of "Mortal Kombat 2" in Russia
Precautionary measure: Warner Bros. could disrupt the screenings of "Mortal Kombat 2" in Russia
The world premiere of "Mortal Kombat 2" took place on May 8, and Russian cinemas have already announced unofficial screenings at the end of the month as part of pre—screening, but they may not take place. The legal representative of Warner Bros. Pictures, which participated in the production of the film, meanwhile, warned about the inadmissibility of copyright infringement and possible measures in case of violation. For more information, see the Izvestia article.
Cinemas VS Warner Bros. Pictures
On May 8, 2026, the sequel to the fantasy action film based on the cult game franchise "Mortal Kombat" was released worldwide. Russian cinemas have announced unofficial screenings as part of the pre-screening service. For example, Passage Cinema and Greenwich Cinema in Yekaterinburg are already selling tickets for all days from May 14th to 17th. In Krasnoyarsk, you can watch the film at the Luch cinema, where sales are open for screenings from May 14 to May 20 and from May 28 to June 3. The Starmax Cinema in Kemerovo has a movie poster on its website, but there are no specific screenings yet. The same goes for Cinema Park, Mirage Cinema and Almaz Cinema.
Meanwhile, the industry publication Cinemaplex reported that Russian cinemas began to receive official warnings about the inadmissibility of copyright and related rights violations during the public screening of Mortal Kombat 2. They are being sent by the Samoilov law firm, which claims to represent the interests of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Her representative Evgeny Samoilov confirmed the fact of this work to Izvestia.
Samoilov Law Firm acts as the authorized legal representative of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc." on the basis of a duly issued power of attorney. The Warner Bros. company. He regularly protects his intellectual property rights and takes appropriate measures in case of violation," says Evgeny Samoilov in response to a request from the editorial board.
Such pre-trial claims significantly increase the risks of an unfavorable outcome for cinemas that will broadcast films, explained Vera Zotova, an adviser to the Nordic Star law firm.
— If Warner Bros. If he files a lawsuit, the cinema may be brought to civil and administrative responsibility. In exceptional cases, criminal liability is also possible for officials, but in practice such measures are used much less frequently than civil and administrative mechanisms. The risks increase if the violation is proven, and the copyright holder can document the fact of the display and the amount of damage caused," she said.
If Warner Bros. If he goes to court, he can count on multimillion-dollar compensation.
— If we assume that Warner Bros. If there are rights to a particular film, then showing it in any format violates their exclusive right in one way or another," Evgeny Rosenblat, a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association Aronov & Partners, told Izvestia. — As a rule, the company can recover damages or oblige to pay compensation. In this case, compensation can be in the amount of ten thousand to ten million rubles, or up to twice the value of counterfeit copies of the work.
Izvestia sent inquiries to cinemas, as well as to Warner Bros. Pictures.
Meanwhile, the film has already been leaked online with a Russian translation.
Is it worth watching "Mortal Kombat 2"
"The gods, whose hearts are as cold as ice, throw dice — and down here, someone loses a loved one." Something like this was sung in the famous song of the ABBA group, and these words fully describe the plot of the movie "Mortal Kombat 2". Some "elder gods" here amuse themselves by arranging fights between worlds from time to time. An invisible force chooses several of the best fighters from each world, they fight one-on-one without rules, and whose team wins can take over another world without artillery, aviation, foreign intelligence and work with the local population.
In the film, we are watching the outcome of just such a crucial tournament. Several masters represent the interests of the Earth, and they are being fought by magicians from the Outside World, the most dangerous of whom is Emperor Shaokan, who is immortal and therefore destined to win.
This is exactly the time to remember why 30 years ago the movie Mortal Kombat by the then little-known Paul W.S. Anderson became the first successful adaptation of video games into movies. Back then, in the games themselves, the plot of the franchise was described by several pages of text between battles and excited the imagination of millions of gamers. Anderson added more humor, and Christopher Lambert, dressed as the god Raiden, openly mocked the rules of the tournament, where a bunch of mortals suddenly had to save their planet for some reason.
The choreography of Hong Kong low-budget action films has received a very precise musical accompaniment. In addition, the perfect actor was found for the role of the magician Shang Tsung, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa then made the whole world remember his long name. But most importantly, the conventional plot of the game suddenly came to life due to unexpected shades and nuances, invented on the fly by Anderson and his team. The fruit of genuine creative freedom.
"Mortal Kombat 2" is not a sequel to that cult film, but a relaunch of the series that happened in 2021. There was no freedom in the "reboot" anymore, it resembled a long introductory video for the game. The authors decided to please the fans as best they could: they crammed as many fights as possible into an hour and a half, imitating the gameplay, added computer effects, more recognizable characters, and that was it.
However, there was one undoubted success: the wonderful actor Hiroyuki Sanada was chosen for the role of the ninja from hell, Scorpio, he was impeccable in all his scenes, and all the best in the aftertaste of the film is associated with him.
Sanada will also appear in the sequel, but he was almost not allowed to play. And this is despite the fact that he recently won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role in Shogun. It would be better to build a film on Scorpio: a tragic image, revenge with centuries of endurance, the personal hell of a suffering ronin. But the filmmakers seemed to have done everything to ruin all the chances of success. They were chasing after the number of characters from the game and the monotonous fight scenes again. Not a single character has been worked out to the end, so it doesn't matter who loses or wins here.
They are trying to force us to "connect" to the story through Princess Kitana, an orphan who grew up next to her father's murderer, but everything in her image is given so casually that actress Adeline Rudolph has nothing much to play, she just has to wave steel fans and have time to say her lines and a half.
Karl Urban in the role of aging action star Johnny Cage is trying his best to save the day, he has some good witticisms and a lot of screen time. But his character is written as if in a hurry, he was empty at the start, and remains throughout the film. Both this film itself is a parody of cinema, and Cage is a parody of an action movie actor. Moreover, both parodies are unintelligent and monotonous.
During the fight scenes, a sports scoreboard appears in the air, circles indicate the participating and eliminated fighters of the two worlds. The question is whether these matches will have fans in cinemas. It seems that after the first few days of rental, the stands will be empty: if you're not a fan of the game, you won't understand why you're watching it at all, and if you are, you'll find yourself trying to justify the money and time spent watching it.
"Mortal Kombat 2" is a clear demonstration of missed opportunities and how one of the most anticipated action games of the season can be turned into an annoying and awkward misunderstanding.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
