In my case, the game didn't start correctly after my attempt to change its screen resolution via main menu.
It may also show you some warnings/errors about missing DirectX libraries in this case.
I have tried to reinstall, but uninstaller does not removes the registry settings.
So the solution is to manually change the resolution settings through the regedit utility in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Lionhead Studios Ltd\TheMovies
My primary display has 16:9 aspect ratio, but the game doesn't works on full hd resoliton. Still, i have found a perfect resolution in my case - it's 1600x900. If you have different aspect ratio, just google the list of resolutions and try picking the most optimal.
I hope, my case would be helpful for somebody. 31.43.59.170 16:02, 5 May 2021 (UTC)