Mortal Kombat II is now playing in theaters, and as we first reported on GameFragger.com, the movie kicked off its run at the North American box office yesterday evening with $5.2 million from Thursday previews.
Now, the sequel is gearing up for the fight of its life with The Devil Wears Prada 2, which opened at #1 last weekend. While Mortal Kombat II is eying a $40 million to $45 million start, The Devil Wears Prada sequel is on track to make $38 million to $42 million.
With some projections pointing to them both going as high as $50 million, Mortal Kombat II will have to brace itself for a tough battle with the Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep-led title.
The first Mortal Kombat movie had the odds stacked against it at the box office thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a simultaneous HBO Max release, it opened to only $23 million in the U.S., and eventually tapped out at $84 million worldwide on a $55 million budget. At the time, it overperformed, explaining why Warner Bros. greenlit a follow-up.
In contrast, Mortal Kombat II has a much bigger $80 million budget. A third chapter hasn't been announced yet, but we'd imagine it's only a matter of time, given what looks like a strong start for the movie in multiplexes.
The Sheep Detectives and Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) won't pose much of a threat, as they're projected to make $15 million and $10 million, respectively (on the higher end of projections).
On Rotten Tomatoes, Mortal Kombat II has 68% from critics. In contrast, The Devil Wears Prada 2 sits at 78% and is "Certified Fresh." It's also expected to do well over Mother's Day weekend.
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 will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, and is now playing in theaters.