Mortal Kombat II was originally set to open in theaters last October, where it would have faced little to no competition. In an apparent sign of confidence, Warner Bros. decided to move the video game adaptation to this weekend.
What the studio clearly didn't anticipate was the challenge Michael, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and even The Sheep Detectives would pose to the sequel. In North America, Mortal Kombat II is neck and neck with The Devil Wears Prada sequel, with an estimated (and softer than expected) opening of $42 million, but overseas?
Fatality.
Early numbers point to a $23 million to $28 million 5-day opening overseas. It had a soft start on Wednesday and Thursday with a combined $3.8 million, and made $5.1 million on Friday for an $8.9 million cume in 71 international markets.
Based on its U.S. haul, Mortal Kombat II is eyeing a $63 million to $73 million global opening on an $80 million production budget (which doesn't include marketing costs). Next weekend will be key for the sequel, especially with a new Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, fast approaching.
At this rate, Mortal Kombat II will likely tap out at the worldwide box office somewhere around the $130 million mark. It may break even or turn a small profit, but whether that's enough to justify a sequel is another matter altogether.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Mortal Kombat II is "Fresh" with 65% and "Verified Hot" on the Popcornmeter with 90% from fans. However, its B CinemaScore is on the lower side, and typical of movies that don't exactly blow up at the box office.
In Mortal Kombat II, Karl Urban stars as Johnny Cage, alongside Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, with Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion.
Director Simon McQuoid returns to helm the follow-up to his explosive 2021 cinematic adventure, from a screenplay by Jeremy Slater, based on the video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The film is produced by Todd Garner, James Wan, Toby Emmerich, E. Bennett Walsh and McQuoid, and executive produced by Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Slater, and Lawrence Kasanoff.
Joining McQuoid behind the camera are director of photography Stephen F. Windon, production designer Yohei Taneda, editor Stuart Levy and costume designer Cappi Ireland, with casting by Rich Delia and music by Benjamin Wallfisch.
Mortal Kombat II is now playing in theaters.