Mortal Kombat II Global Box Office Debut Falls Almost $20 Million Short Of Projections
By Published May 10, 2026, 11:49 AM EDT Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the podcast, and contributor at and . He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
has been knocked out at the global box office arena.
is a sequel to the 2026 video game adaptation Mortal Kombat. Although the previous installment only grossed $84.4 million against its reported $55 million budget, its theatrical performance was compromised by a pandemic-depressed marketplace and the fact that it debuted on streaming via HBO Max on the same day. The sequel, which was helmed by returning director Simon McQuoid and stars Karl Urban, Jessica McNamee, Lewis Tan, Josh Lawson, Tati Gabrielle, and Hiroyuki Sanada, was officially greenlit in January 2026, eventually receiving an even bigger reported budget of $80 million.
Per Variety, as of Sunday morning, Mortal Kombat II is expected to end its opening weekend with a global debut total of $63 million, comprising $40 million at the domestic box office (a total that is seeing it losing its neck-and-neck race with The Devil Wears Prada 2 to land at No. 2 for the weekend) and an additional $23 million from international markets. This sees the movie falling $17 million short of its early global debut projections of roughly $80 million.
It is ultimately difficult to compare the performance of the sequel to the 2026 movie, considering the very different circumstances in which both arrived in theaters. The new movie has added advantages, including an exclusive theatrical window, a non-COVID-impacted marketplace, and superior critical reception. have earned it a Rotten Tomatoes score of 65% (compared to the previous movie's 55%).
However, its international grosses have so far formed just 36.5% of its global gross, whereas the original movie made 49.9% of its money overseas. This proportion could shift as the new movie opens in more markets and if it proves to have better retention internationally than at home. However, if its proportions remain the same and it stays on the overall growth trajectory, it might not gross much more than $125 million by the end of its run.
Should that be the case, it would fall significantly short of its estimated break-even point. Because theaters keep half of ticket sales and publicity costs aren't factored into production budgets, Hollywood movies often need to earn back two and a half times their price tags, which could mean that Mortal Kombat II needs to earn $200 million in order to end up in the black.
Although the substantial may prove to be a major hurdle, there is still plenty of time for the movie to prove itself, both in domestic theaters and internationally. There are no major blockbusters arriving during the movie's sophomore weekend (during which the mid-range movies Obsession and In the Grey are the biggest new releases), which should give it room to grow before The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives on the global stage on May 22.
Additionally, although the new Star Wars movie will almost certainly push Mortal Kombat II out of plenty of theaters, it may not ultimately prove to be much competition. Early projections have shown that The Mandalorian and Grogu has the potential to earn the lowest domestic debut of the entire franchise.
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