Kitao Sakurai is ready to step back into the ring, if fans will have him. The director of Paramount Pictures and Legendary Pictures' Street Fighter has opened up about a possible sequel, saying he would love to keep the story going, but only if audiences show up for it.
Sakurai made the comments during an exclusive chat with ScreenRant last Saturday as the movie was in the middle of its opening weekend.
"We all had such an amazing time making this movie, and the world of Street Fighter already has so much history behind it. It's 40 years. It's one of the most iconic franchises ever. It would be a shame to not continue telling the story," Sakurai said. "Obviously, we would love to do that, but we just have to see how people receive it and if fans support it. We'll see, but we would love to."
The Box Office Verdict So Far
The early numbers are a mixed bag. Street Fighter took the top spot at the North American box office with an estimated $31 million from 3,575 theaters, and added $20.1 million overseas for a worldwide start of about $51 million. It has been reported that Paramount was hoping for a domestic debut in the mid-$30 millions, and that the film cost around $82 million to produce, which means it will need solid legs to turn into a clear win.
That opening is still a strong result by the franchise's standards. The 1994 Street Fighter starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia has long been a cult favorite despite rough reviews, and 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was a box office disappointment. By comparison, Sakurai's version has made a much bigger first impression.
Critics Versus Fans
The reviews tell a familiar story for video game movies. Critics have been lukewarm, with the film holding a 41% score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, though that is still a big step up from the 1994 movie. Audiences have been far kinder, with the audience score sitting around 80%. It has also been reported that opening night crowds gave it a B- CinemaScore, the same grade the 1994 film received.
Sakurai's comments suggest that fan support is what will matter most, so that audience score and word of mouth over the next few weeks could be what decides whether Street Fighter 2 happens.
A Cast Built For More Rounds
If a sequel does get the green light, it would have a huge ensemble to work with. Andrew Koji plays Ryu and Noah Centineo plays Ken Masters, with Callina Liang as Chun-Li, the fighter who recruits the pair for the World Warrior Tournament. The villains and rivals include David Dastmalchian as M. Bison and Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa'i as Akuma.
The supporting cast is stacked as well. Jason Momoa plays Blanka, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is Balrog, Cody Rhodes is Guile, and Orville Peck takes on Vega. Vidyut Jammwal plays Dhalsim, Hirooki Goto is E. Honda, Olivier Richters is Zangief, and Andrew Schulz plays Dan Hibiki, while Eric André appears as Don Sauvage. Don Lee also voices Gouken in animated flashback sequences.
Sakurai, who directed the film from a script he wrote with T.J. Fixman based on a story by Dalan Musson and Gary Dauberman, set the story in 1993. With that many characters introduced and plenty of the game roster still untouched, there is no shortage of material for a follow-up. The movie's ending also sets up where things could go next, which we broke down in our spoiler coverage of the post-credits scene. We are keeping that reveal out of this article, so read at your own risk.
For now, no sequel has been officially announced by Paramount, Legendary, or Capcom, so Sakurai's comments should be seen as hopeful rather than a confirmation.
Should Paramount and Legendary greenlight Street Fighter 2 based on the fan reaction, or wait to see how the movie holds up over the next few weekends?
Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below.