Mortal Kombat II rings up $5.2m in previews

Q: Can 'Mortal Kombat's' bloody action triumph over the Prada sequel's powerful nostalgia marketing?

Yes—at least for the weekend race, “Mortal Kombat II” has a real chance to beat “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” but it is far from a runaway win. The strongest evidence is the early box office. “Mortal Kombat II” drew $5.2 million in Thursday previews, close to “Final Destination Bloodlines,” which turned that into a $51.6 million opening. Current forecasts put “Mortal Kombat II” around $40 million to $45 million domestically, with some exhibitors seeing upside toward $50 million if walk-up business is strong. That would put it directly against “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which is projected for roughly $38 million to $42 million in its second weekend. “Mortal Kombat II” also has momentum beyond previews. Reviews are notably better than the 2021 film, with a 74% Rotten Tomatoes score and praise for the action, fan service and Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage. Warner Bros. is benefiting from a cleaner theatrical-only launch after the first film’s pandemic-era HBO Max day-and-date release depressed its box office. Still, Disney’s sequel remains a formidable rival. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” has already crossed $300 million worldwide, is riding strong word-of-mouth, and has an unusually aggressive nostalgia campaign built around the returning cast and major brand tie-ins. Mother’s Day could further help its female-skewing audience. So the likely answer is that “Mortal Kombat II” can win the weekend on raw opening power, but “Prada 2” still looks stronger as the broader commercial phenomenon.

3 articles · Updated · Deadline · May 8

The New Line sequel took all of that from Thursday shows starting at 3pm, with opening-weekend forecasts easing into the $40m range.
That would still comfortably top 2021's Covid-era debut of $23.3m and could exceed the first film's entire $42.3m domestic run.
The film faces competition from The Devil Wears Prada 2, expected to get a Mother's Day boost, while Billie Eilish's concert film and Sheep Detectives posted $2.2m and $1m in previews.