Every ‘Mortal Kombat’ Movie and TV Show in Order: The Complete Franchise Watch Guide

Few video game franchises have made as deep a mark on screen as ‘Mortal Kombat’. The franchise began as a 1992 arcade game and has since evolved into a full-fledged universe of console games, comic books, movies, and television shows. Whether you are a longtime devotee of the tournaments or a newcomer drawn in by the fatalities, knowing exactly where to start watching the ‘Mortal Kombat’ franchise on screen is not as simple as it might look.

As of now, the franchise consists of three live-action films, five animated films, two live-action shows, and an animated series, with multiple continuities that do not always connect to one another. This complete guide breaks down every ‘Mortal Kombat’ movie and show in order so you can dive straight into Outworld without any confusion.

The Live-Action Mortal Kombat Movies in Order

The series kicked off with the 1995 film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, which remains a foundational moment for the genre. The film starred Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Christopher Lambert, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, working from a budget of $20 million. Critics landed at a 47% on the Tomatometer, but audiences broadly embraced the electronic soundtrack, creative fight scenes, and diverse cast, and the film remained number one at the box office for three weekends, finishing with a worldwide haul of $122 million.

The story follows Rayden summoning Earthrealm’s champions, including Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade, to stop the sorcerer Shang Tsung from winning the tenth consecutive tournament and conquering their world. The film was considered the first major success for video game movie adaptations, arriving a year after the critically disappointing ‘Street Fighter’.

Picking up mere minutes from where the first film ends, the 1997 sequel ‘Mortal Kombat: Annihilation’ sees Shao Kahn open a portal between worlds with only seven days to destroy Earth, with Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, Kitana, Raiden, and Jax standing in his way. The sequel holds a 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the recasts of Johnny Cage, Sonya, and Raiden, combined with an awful script, made it a steep fall from the original’s relative charm.

The TV Shows That Expanded the Mortal Kombat Universe

‘Mortal Kombat: Conquest’ aired in syndication for one season from October 1998 to May 1999, running for 22 episodes and starring Paolo Montalban, Daniel Bernhardt, and Kristanna Loken. Rather than following the games’ main protagonists, the series served as a prequel, following the original Kung Lao as he protects Earthrealm alongside bodyguard Siro and former thief Taja.

The show featured game characters including Kitana, Raiden, and Sub-Zero, and remains a curiosity for dedicated fans of the broader lore.

‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy’ ran for two seasons from 2011 to 2013 on the Machinima YouTube channel, initially pitched by director Kevin Tancharoen as a gritty, realistic feature film before Warner Bros. greenlit it as a web series instead.

The first season starred Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan, alongside Ian Anthony Dale and Tahmoh Penikett. A third season called ‘Mortal Kombat X: Generations’ was fully completed but never released, due to the brand’s priorities changing at the time of production.

The Mortal Kombat Legends Animated Films

‘Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins’ from 1995 holds a 3.5 out of 10 on IMDb and serves as an animated prequel to the original tournament, using traditional animation, motion capture, and CGI to explore the origins of Shang Tsung, Goro, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero. It sits firmly in historical territory and is rarely considered essential viewing today, though it holds a cult curiosity factor for collectors chasing the full picture.

The modern animated wing of the franchise launched with ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge’ in 2020, earning a strong 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb and establishing standalone storylines separate from the live-action continuity.

The film follows Hanzo Hasashi as he avenges his slain loved ones in an explosive interdimensional battle and remains the most celebrated entry in the animated run by a wide margin.

‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realm’ followed in 2021 with a 6.5 out of 10 on IMDb, splitting its story across Earthrealm warriors fighting for the survival of their home. ‘Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match’ arrived in 2023 with a 5.9 out of 10 on IMDb, offering Johnny Cage’s origin story with a nostalgic 80s action aesthetic and Jennifer Grey as his co-star.

The Modern Reboot Era and What Comes Next

The 2021 reboot, directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada, and was made on a $55 million budget. The simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO Max during the pandemic capped its box office performance, but propelled it to become Warner Bros.’s biggest day-and-date streaming release of that year.

‘Mortal Kombat II’, directed once again by Simon McQuoid from a screenplay by Jeremy Slater, brings back much of the original cast alongside newcomers Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, and Tati Gabrielle in a new role.

The sequel carries an $80 million budget and ramps up the gory fight scenes, with Urban’s Johnny Cage described as a washed-up movie star entering the realm-spanning battle for the first time.

Screenwriter Greg Russo has stated the reboot is envisioned as a trilogy, with the first film set before the tournament, the second set during it, and a third planned for the aftermath. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon even appears in the new film as a bartender named Ed.

Now that Johnny Cage has finally entered the arena after thirty years of waiting, the real question for fans is whether Karl Urban’s take on the franchise’s most charismatic fighter is the missing piece the reboot needed all along, so let us know if his arrival is the reason you finally came back to the ‘Mortal Kombat’ cinematic universe.