I can kinda sorta understand that from a business POV, but it still sucks for aesthetics IMO.
You have 80% of the game that's becoming more serious and more realistic with every installment (better graphics, more immersive world, better writing) and then you have shit like X-Rays and Fatalities that go hard 180* against that. It's like the game wants to be two things at the same time, extremely gritty and serious, and also extremely comical and silly. Sometimes it works great, like with Johnny, but most of the time it's just fucking bizarre to me.
After being an MK fan for 25 years I can honestly say that cartoony violence has little to no impact on me, so what am I supposed to take away from the fatality? It's not funny, it's not cool, it's not bad-ass, so what is it?