Elon Musk Reacts to $50 Million Copyright Lawsuit Over “Blade Runner 2049” Imagery: “That Movie Sucked”

Elon Musk has responded to a $50 million copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind Blade Runner 2049. In a brief comment on his social media platform X, Musk said, “That movie sucked,” after learning about the lawsuit. The case accuses Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery of using imagery from the sci-fi film during Tesla’s recent Robotaxi launch event without permission.

That movie sucked

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2024

Filed on Monday in Los Angeles federal court, the lawsuit claims that the Tesla presentation featured AI-generated visuals resembling scenes from Blade Runner 2049, including a “Ryan Gosling look-alike” and a futuristic vehicle design. According to Alcon, Musk was aware of their objections to using the film’s content but proceeded anyway.

Alcon’s lawsuit also noted that the company wished to avoid any association between Blade Runner 2049 and Musk’s companies, citing concerns over his public behavior. Additionally, the suit alleges that Warner Bros. Discovery, the distributor of the 2017 film, did not have the legal rights to permit Tesla’s use of the film’s elements.

Blade Runner 2049, a sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic, was critically acclaimed, with an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and global box office earnings of $259.2 million. Despite this, Musk’s response shows he wasn’t impressed by the film.