Mortal Kombat, Warner Bros.' movie reboot based on the iconic video game series, has landed on HBO Max. The R-rated fantasy drama has been highly anticipated by moviegoers and gamers alike, and while critical reception has been mixed so far, it could be a surefire hit for Warner Bros. if its trailer's viewing figures for the red strip they are quite satisfactory. . Although the film has just been released in the United States, attention has already turned to the possibility of Mortal Kombat sequels. As it turns out, there could be more sections to his film series, and we could see up to four more movies, according to actor Joe Taslim. Speaking to Variety ahead of Mortal Kombat's release, Taslim, who plays the villainous Sub-Zero, revealed that he had signed on to play the character again for four more installments. When asked about the potential for future Mortal Kombat movies, Taslim said on the Just for Variety podcast: "If this one is successful, maybe we'll do more." He added that his contract allows him to reprise the role of Sub-Zero in a quartet of Mortal Kombat movies, though Warner Bros. is happy to go ahead with possible sequel plans.
Is Mortal Kombat teasing a follow-up movie?
Spoilers for the end of Mortal Kombat follow. Don't scroll through the image below if you don't want its ending to spoil.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.) There are no mid-credits or post-credits scenes in Mortal Kombat, but we do have a great clue as to where a follow-up movie would go. You can read more about Mortal Kombat's ending in our explainer article, but we'll quickly reveal what the film's final scene alludes to. After protagonist Cole Young and the other Earthworld champions defeat Shang Tsung's forces, we see Cole leave his cage days behind. He tells his former employer that he's headed to Los Angeles to find someone, and before the screen cuts to black, the camera pans over a poster on the wall. Mortal Kombat fans won't need any character introduction on this poster. Yes, it is Johnny Cage, another iconic character from the video game series.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.) Why is Cole going to find Cage? Well, Lord Raiden, the god of thunder, wants Cole and his other champions to find others like them to defend Earth against Shang Tsung. The latter has already told Raiden and the Champions of Earth that he will return with an army next time, so they will need all the help they can get from other powerful beings. Mortal Kombat 2, therefore, would likely follow Cole's journey to recruit Cage and other warriors, with the mark of the dragon granting them unique powers, to prepare for Shang Tsung's return. Hopefully, Cage wouldn't be the only new hero or villain to appear in a sequel, but as of now, we don't know who else might be playing in a potential sequel.
What will determine if Mortal Kombat is a success?
(Image credit: Warner Bros.) Usually make a profit at the box office. Mortal Kombat cost €95 million to produce, according to a Forbes report, but Warner Bros. You will probably have spent more than that amount in marketing costs to promote the film at home and abroad.
For a movie to be successful, it would have to generate enough box office receipts to recoup production and marketing costs, and make a nice profit for the studios that helped make and distribute it. In a pre-Covid world, that would mean Mortal Kombat would likely have to top $200 million in ticket sales to be considered worthy enough for a sequel.
If the public is interested in seeing it, they will raise money to do so. Otherwise, a movie will fail and all possible follow-up movies will be saved. So far, Mortal Kombat has earned around a cumulative €20 million from international markets, €11 million of which was earned in its opening weekend (via Deadline), so it still has a ways to go. Examine to recover even your cost of production.
However, since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the success of a film has not been entirely defined by the money it makes. With movie theater doors closed in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19, many studios have turned to streaming services to distribute their movies. Warner Bros. It's even releasing its entire 2021 slate of movies on its in-house platform HBO Max, and while that was a decision made by many high-profile directors when it was first announced, it may have been the decision that allowed for movies like Mortal Kombat. to receive a suite or two.
Warner Bros. saw its superhero movie Wonder Woman 1984 (WW84) become the most-watched movie on a streaming platform in 2020 (via THR), while Godzilla vs. Kong became the biggest launch movie ever. from HBO Max when it arrived in late March (h/t Variety). The success of this duo shows that public demand for new movie releases remains high, even if they are distributed on streaming services.
Of course, WW84 and Godzilla vs Kong will also have made money for Warner Bros. Both movies did well at the international box office, and each release will have prompted some viewers to sign up for an HBO Max subscription to watch one or both. These two factors will have made both films profitable for Warner Bros. to some extent and suggest that the challenged decision by Warner Bros. it was the right one to take.
What does this mean for potential Mortal Kombat sequels? Well, if it draws as many viewers as WW84 and Godzilla vs Kong, it seems inevitable that Warner Bros. give the go-ahead for at least one follow-up movie. There's clearly an appetite for the reboot, given that its official trailer has become the most-watched R-rated trailer of all time (until The Suicide Squad trailer is live). If fan fervor for the movie is as big as it seems, it should be another big hit for HBO Max and Warner Bros., and will surely lead to the approval of Mortal Kombat 2 in the future.
- The Batman: Here's Everything We Know About The Next DC Movie