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Given the unproven nature of the day-and-date [simultaneously cinema and HBO Max] release strategy, WB effectively used ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ as a test case while maintaining a tried-and-true release strategy for its own wholly owned films, ‘Black Adam’ and ‘The Batman,’ VRS says in the lawsuit. “The hit to ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ box office returns was not the result of just the cannibalization from streaming but from the rampant piracy it knew would come by distributing this marquee picture on a streaming platform on the same day as its theatrical release,” the VRS complaint says. “The cumulative result was devastating.” Industry researchers estimate “Resurrections” was the most pirated movie after its streaming/cinema release, with the VRS complaint blaming unauthorized duplication from streaming runs. A key point of contention is the marketplace performance of the R-rated “Matrix Resurrections,” which is a fourth movie in Warners’ science-fiction action film franchise. The movie co-financed and co-owned by VRS. “Resurrections” premiered domestically Dec. 22, generating a poor $38 million in boxoffice in the U.S./Canada (another $119 million worldwide in overseas boxoffice) while simultaneous telecast on HBO Max. The flick generally got mediocre reviews from critics, whose impact on audience is difficult to measure. The VRS complaint notes that Sony Pictures’ mega-blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home” premiered the same month as “Matrix Resurrections” but Voir plus