Elon Musk Responds to 'Blade Runner 2049' Copyright Lawsuit: 'That Movie Sucked'

In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk, a prominent figure in the tech industry and the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has found himself at the center of a copyright infringement lawsuit. 

Elon Musk Says ‘Blade Runner 2049’ ‘Sucked’

The lawsuit was filed by the production company behind the sci-fi movie "Blade Runner 2049." Rather than adopting a serious tone in response to the legal proceedings, Musk took to the X social media platform and dismissed the lawsuit with a three-word retort: "That movie sucked."

This blunt response came in the wake of the news that the producers of "Blade Runner 2049" were suing Musk, Tesla, and Warner Bros. Discovery, alleging the misappropriation of intellectual property from the film for the launch of Tesla's Robotaxi self-driving "cybercab." Released in 2017, "Blade Runner 2049" gained critical acclaim, boasting an 88% certified fresh rating by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, in addition to an impressive 89% audience score. The film, which stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, was a sequel to Ridley Scott's iconic 1982 film "Blade Runner."

The lawsuit, filed in L.A. federal court, specifically accuses Musk's Robotaxi video presentation of utilizing AI-generated images that represented scenes from "Blade Runner 2049," despite Alcon Entertainment's explicit denial of permission to use those images. The suit alleged that one such image featured a "Ryan Gosling look-alike" alongside "the iconic Peugeot-styled futuristic vehicle" from the film. Moreover, it alleges that Musk was fully aware of Alcon's objections to the use of the images but proceeded to incorporate them into the presentation regardless.

Controversial Behavior at Center of Lawsuit

Alcon's lawsuit further expressed concerns about Musk's behavior, stating that the company wanted "Blade Runner 2049" to have no affiliation with "Tesla, X, Musk or any Musk-owned company" due to Musk's "massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech."

The legal action also claimed that neither Warner Bros. Pictures nor any other entity under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella had the necessary rights to permit Tesla to exploit "Blade Runner 2049" or any of its elements during the globally livestreamed cybercab reveal event.

The Commercial Success of Blade Runner 2049

Despite the legal controversies surrounding "Blade Runner 2049," the film proved to be a commercial success. According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed $259.2 million at the worldwide box office on an estimated budget of $150 million. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and was a sequel to the original "Blade Runner," further solidifying its place in cinematic history.