Mortal Kombat 2 Made Millions Before Its Official Release Day

GameSpot » All News RSS Feed✍ Eddie Makuch📅 May 8, 2026⏱ 3 min read(4 months ago)

Overview & Key Takeaways

Mortal Kombat 2 is out now in theaters, and it made millions before its official wide release. The movie picked up $5.2 million in preview screenings in North America on May 7 ahead of its wider release today, May 8, according to Variety.

The video game movie is projected by independent tracking data to earn between $40 million and $45 million over the Friday-Sunday period, while Warner Bros. is expecting a more conservative $35 million. Studios often make safer predictions in part so they can say the final numbers surpassed expectations.

Mortal Kombat 2's main competition this weekend in theaters is a film that's totally unlike it: The Devil Wears Prada 2. The movie is projected to earn between $38 million and $42 million over its second weekend in North America after taking in $77 million for its first weekend.

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Mortal Kombat 2 had a reported production budget of $80 million, an increase over the first film's estimated $55 million. The 2021 movie only made $84 million globally during its run, but it was released during the pandemic and launched simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. The film would go on to have a lot of success on HBO Max.

Warner Bros. is obviously optimistic about Mortal Kombat as a film franchise, as the company greenlit a third movie back in October 2025.

Simon McQuoid, who directed the 2021 movie, came back to direct the sequel, with Karl Urban joining the cast as Johnny Cage and series creator Ed Boon appearing in a cameo role.

Reviews for Mortal Kombat 2 have been divisive, prompting a much-ridiculed response from producer Todd Garner.

Another popular fighting game franchise, Street Fighter, is coming out with its own movie this year as well in October. The biggest video game movie of 2026 so far is The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which is closing in on $900 million worldwide.

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