Tag: Simon McQuoid

Mortal Kombat II Box Office Prediction

Arriving in theaters five years after its predecessor, video game based Mortal Kombat II hopes to kick off with big numbers on May 8th. The martial arts sequel is actually the fourth overall feature in a franchise that began over 30 years ago, but was reinvigorated in April of 2021. Simon McQuoid returns as director with returning cast members Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada. New faces to the series include Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, and Tati Gabrielle.

The Warner Bros/New Line production is banking on the follow-up improving on the last entry. Keep in mind that 2021’s Kombat debuted in the midst of COVID closures and was released simultaneously on HBO Max. It still managed to exceed expectations with a $23 million premiere. That start was front-loaded with an eventual domestic tally of $42 million (the sophomore frame drop was a whopping 73%).

Even with that in mind, the outlook looks rosy that fans of the IP will be game for part II. I’m projecting it matches or comes close to matching part 1’s overall take in the first weekend.

Mortal Kombat II opening weekend prediction: $41.2 million

Mortal Kombat Box Office Prediction

Fresh off their massive success with Godzilla vs. Kong, Warner Bros is back in theaters and streaming on HBO Max with the release of Mortal Kombat on April 23. The film is, of course, an adaptation of the hugely profitable gaming franchise. It’s also a reboot of the film series that began in 1995 to potent box office returns and a 1997 sequel (Mortal Kombat: Annihilation) that couldn’t live up to the first. Therefore the series has been dormant nearly a quarter century.

Simon McQuoid makes his directorial debut (and James Wan as a coproducer) with a cast featuring Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, and Hiroyuki Sanada. While it seems like every major motion picture has experienced major delays due to COVID-19, this one was only pushed three months from an original January release date.

As mentioned, its studio has found a formula that works in recent months with their simultaneous multiplex and HBO Max drop dates. Godzilla vs. Kong set the COVID times record with a much better than anticipated $32 million traditional opening weekend and nearly $50 million for its five-day Easter frame rollout.

Mortal Kombat may not have quite the appeal of those two monsters mashing, but it certainly has a built-in fanbase that will prefer to see it in the theaters. Its R rating (the first two flicks were PG-13) could be a minor hiccup, but I doubt that will have too much effect. It can’t hurt that there’s a new generation of video game players and their parents who are familiar with it.

I look for Kombat to punch in with a little more than half of what GvK accomplished and that means high teens is the range I’m forecasting.

Mortal Kombat opening weekend prediction: $17.5 million

For my Demon Slayer prediction, click here:

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train Box Office Prediction