Karl Urban in “Mortal Kombat II.”
Warner Bros. Pictures
Mortal Kombat II, a sequel to the 2021 movie reboot based on Midway Games’ video game classic, is coming to digital streaming this week after a rough run in theaters.
Directed by Simon McQuoid, who helmed the 2021 film, Mortal Kombat 2 opened in theaters on May 8. In the film, Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) recruit Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), a washed-up action movie star who has mastered several fighting styles, to take on the evil Emperor Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) in a Mortal Kombat tournament. The stakes are high: If Shao Kahn wins, he will take over the Earthrealm.
Rated PG, Mortal Kombat II stars Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Josh Lawson as Kano, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang and Tati Gabrielle as Jade, and Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun) returns from the first Mortal Kombat movie as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion.
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment announced last week that Mortal Kombat II will be released on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, June. 9. The film will be available for purchase on PVOD for $24.99 on such digital platforms as Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and YouTube Movies & TV.
Since digital rentals typically are $5 less than purchase prices, Mortal Kombat II should be available as a 48-hour rental on PVOD for $19.99.
The release of Mortal Kombat II comes after an underwhelming theatrical run for the sequel, which has earned nearly $79.1 million in North American theaters and $48.9 million internationally for a worldwide box office gross of $128 million to date. Mortal Kombat II’s theater count dropped to 478 North American venues on Friday from 1,603 theaters the week before. The film opened in 3,503 theaters on May 8.
Mortal Kombat II had an $80 million production budget before marketing costs, according to Variety. Since theater owners and movie studios typically split ticket sales 50-50, this would leave Warner Bros. with $40 million. As such, the studio will next have to rely on PVOD sales and rentals of Mortal Kombat II to recoup the rest of the film’s production budget, marketing costs, residuals and other miscellaneous expenses.
By contrast, 2021’s Mortal Kombat — which was preceded by two Mortal Kombat live-action films in 1995 and 1997 — earned $42.3 million domestically and $42.1 million for a worldwide box office tally of $84.4 million.
It’s important to note, though, that the first Mortal Kombat film was released in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, as Warner Bros. put the film in theaters and on its streaming service HBO Max simultaneously as part of the studio’s controversial day-and-date release plan in 2021.
‘Mortal Kombat II’ Is Also Set For Release On 4K, Blu-Ray And DVD In July
In addition to digital streaming, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Mortal Kombat II will be coming to physical media on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on July 28.
The 4K and Blu-ray copies of Mortal Kombat II will include five production featurettes, Warner Bros Discovery notes. They are:
‘Mortal Kombat II’: Evolving the Saga: Returning characters, new alliances and even bigger fatalities! Go behind the scenes to learn all that went into creating the latest chapter in the Mortal Kombat film saga and how the sequel expands the universe to bolder, bloodier heights.
Building the Realms of Mortal Kombat: From the decaying streets of Edenia to the terrifying Pit featured in the iconic video game series, discover how the Mortal Kombat II design teams blended practical sets with groundbreaking VFX to create the legendary realms in the film.
‘Mortal Kombat II’: Choose Your Fighter: Awaken your Arcana as you meet the cast and explore the brutal weapons, epic costumes and fierce training that went into bringing their characters to life.
Klose Quarters Kombat: Cast members and key creatives share insights into how the stunt preparation, intense fight scenes and weapons training shaped both classic moves and new, merciless combat styles.
A ‘Boon’ to Gamers Everywhere: Sit down with chief Mortal Kombat mythmaker and creator Ed Boon for a deep dive into the franchise’s storied history and ongoing evolution that spans three decades of near-infinite games, films and comics, culminating with the live-action sequel.
Mortal Kombat II will arrive on PVOD on Tuesday.
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