Mortal Kombat II Box Office Starting To Look Like The Marvels (Report)

Mortal Kombat II is now looking less like a breakout sequel and more like a movie that might be lucky to break even.

The sequel underperformed in its opening weekend with $38.5 million domestic, which came in below the early $50 million talk and below the revised $40 million-plus estimates.

As of Tuesday, Box Office Mojo lists Mortal Kombat II at $44.9 million domestic, $26.1 million international, and $71 million worldwide.

Now the second weekend is looking rough, with estimates pointing to around a 60% drop and a domestic weekend near $15 million.

For a movie with a reported $80 million budget, Mortal Kombat II likely needs around $200 million worldwide to break even using the usual 2.5x rule of thumb.

For an IP as recognizable as Mortal Kombat, that should have been a reachable number. The problem is the movie is not moving like it needs to.

Mortal Kombat II Isn’t Keeping Up

We previously compared Mortal Kombat II to Uncharted ($407M), but the sequel no longer looks like it is keeping up.

The daily numbers are weaker, and the international box office is very soft. Only 36.7% of the current worldwide gross is coming from overseas, according to Box Office Mojo, which is not what you want from a known video game brand.

The movie is starting to look more like The Marvels, which opened higher domestically and finished with $206 million worldwide.

Mortal Kombat II does not have the same Marvel-sized budget problem, but the pattern is similar: known IP, fanboy-heavy audience, soft interest outside the core crowd (women and the younger crowd aren’t showing up), and a box office run that may stall before reaching a safe number.

Are Fans Waiting For Streaming?

The big question is what happened.

The 2021 Mortal Kombat was released during Warner Bros.’ pandemic-era day-and-date strategy, opening in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time.

Mortal Kombat reportedly did huge numbers on streaming, which helped get the sequel moving. So are those same fans simply waiting to watch Mortal Kombat II at home?

Maybe they liked the first movie on streaming, but not enough to pay for a theatrical sequel. Maybe they are waiting to watch the new one “free” on Max.

If Mortal Kombat II ends up being big on streaming again, it will be interesting to see if Warner Bros. and New Line give Mortal Kombat III the same theatrical window or rethink the strategy.

Mortal Kombat III Is Being Worked On

Mortal Kombat III is already being worked on, but Warner Bros. and New Line have not officially announced it.

Jeremy Slater, who wrote Mortal Kombat II, has been linked to the third movie. Director Simon McQuoid has also discussed where things could go next, but the sequel’s box office now makes the situation more complicated.

If Mortal Kombat II comes up short theatrically but performs big on streaming again, Warner Bros. may still want more. The question becomes whether the franchise belongs in theaters, on Max, or somewhere in between.

Did Mortal Kombat II Take The Wrong Direction?

Fans may have also wanted Mortal Kombat II to stick closer to the direction of the first movie.

The 2021 film focused heavily on Cole Young, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Cole learning about his connection to Scorpion. The ending also set up Cole going to find Johnny Cage.

Mortal Kombat II moves away from that. Cole is killed off early, while Johnny Cage, Kitana, Shao Kahn, and the tournament take over the story. Writer Jeremy Slater has said Cole’s death was influenced by fan backlash against the character, since Cole was created for the movie and was not from the games.

The problem is the sequel may have overcorrected.

Instead of building from the first movie’s ending, Mortal Kombat II basically resets the board. Cole is gone, Scorpion and Sub-Zero are no longer the main engine, and the movie puts a lot of focus on Kitana.

Kitana Takes The Spotlight

Kitana is a major part of Mortal Kombat lore, and Adeline Rudolph is good in the role.

The issue is whether making the sequel so centered around Kitana was the right move for a movie aimed at a heavily male audience.

It’s fair to ask if Mortal Kombat II ran into the same problem as other female-driven franchise entries aimed mostly at male audiences. The Marvels comparison comes up again because both movies lean on known IP but have struggled to draw a larger audience.

Johnny Cage Should Have Been Cooler

Then there is Johnny Cage.

Karl Urban is a good actor, but Mortal Kombat II’s version of Johnny Cage is a big question mark. Fans wanted cool, cocky, flashy, and badass.

Instead, the movie gives us a washed-up slacker who spends most of the movie without his powers and doesn’t want to be there. Well, guess what? It seems the audience doesn’t want to be there, either.

Using Johnny Cage as the audience guide might work for casual viewers who need the Mortal Kombat lore explained, but it also undercuts one of the franchise’s biggest personalities.

My son thought Johnny Cage should have been a lot cooler, and I agree. Let’s add that the new audience didn’t even show, so why was Cage used that way?

The movie even waits until the end to give Johnny his powers. For a sequel marketed around finally bringing Johnny Cage into the reboot franchise, that is a questionable choice.

Did The Movie Miss Gen Z?

The marketing and the movie also seemed to miss the Gen Z audience that showed up for Minecraft.

A younger, cooler, more arrogant Johnny Cage might have played better with that crowd. Instead of a modern action-star version of the character, Mortal Kombat II gives fans an older loser who does not really want to be the hero for most of the movie (how fun is that?).

For hardcore Mortal Kombat fans, the fatalities and lore may be enough. For younger casual viewers, maybe not.

The movie needed a character who could break out on social media, pull in younger viewers, and make Mortal Kombat feel cool again. Johnny Cage should have been that guy. Kitans, Jade, and Sony are not.

Break-Even Fight Begins

Mortal Kombat II now has a tough road ahead.

At $71 million worldwide as of Tuesday, the sequel still has a long way to go before hitting the rough $200 million break-even mark. A 60% second-weekend drop would make that climb even harder. Word-of-mouth is doing nothing.

The movie can still make money later through premium digital, streaming, and other post-theatrical revenue. But theatrically, this is not the run Warner Bros. and New Line wanted from a sequel based on one of the most recognizable fighting game brands ever.

Mortal Kombat II may not be a fatality yet.

But unless the legs suddenly kick in, breaking even could be the real final boss.