'Street Fighter' Audiences Brush Off Rotten Reviews With a Knockout Popcornmeter Score

Live-action video game movies have a long history of getting beaten up by critics. ‘Street Fighter‘ has been on the receiving end of that treatment more than most, with the 1994 original sitting at 20% on Rotten Tomatoes and 2009’s ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’ at just 3%.

So when Paramount and Legendary’s new reboot arrived in theaters Oct. 16, expectations were cautious. Directed by Kitao Sakurai from a script by T.J. Fixman and Sakurai, the PG-13 film is set in 1993 and follows estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters, played by Andrew Koji and Noah Centineo, who are recruited by the mysterious Chun-Li, played by Callina Liang, for the next World Warrior Tournament.

The cast is enormous, even by video game movie standards. It includes Cody Rhodes as Guile, Roman Reigns as Akuma, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Jason Momoa as Blanka, 50 Cent as Balrog, Eric André as Don Sauvage and Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki. The film is the third live-action feature based on Capcom’s franchise.

The review embargo lifted late, around midday on Thursday, just hours before the first showtimes. That timing often worries fans, and the early scores seemed to confirm it. The film debuted around 28% on Rotten Tomatoes and climbed into the 40s as more reviews came in. It now sits at 45% on the Tomatometer, based on 64 reviews.

The audience side tells a different story. The Popcornmeter currently stands at 84% from more than 250 verified ratings, a big gap from the critics’ score. Rotten Tomatoes’ own first-reviews roundup put the early audience score at 83%, so the fan reaction has been consistently positive in the opening hours.

Those numbers can shift as more viewers weigh in, especially once the weekend crowds arrive. Still, a score in the 80s suggests that fans who bought tickets to see their favorite fighters on the big screen are leaving happy.

Reviewers have focused on a few recurring points. Several said the movie ends abruptly and spends too much time setting up a sequel instead of telling a complete story. Others took issue with the script, calling the dialogue predictable and the humor groan-worthy, and some described the fight scenes as surprisingly dull.

The Hollywood Reporter and The Times of London gave rotten scores, and the Guardian said the film is content to mock the cringe of the ’90s while staying stuck there. IndieWire criticized the convoluted plotting and jokes.

PERFECT! Watch the New Trailer for Street Fighter, hitting theaters everywhere October 16. https://t.co/jAAPf1k9jf
— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) September 1, 2026

Not everyone was negative. TheWrap’s critic gave a fresh score, praising the filmmaker’s infectious enthusiasm even while saying it may not meet conventional standards of quality. Consequence also gave a fresh score with reservations, while ComingSoon awarded a 6/10, praising the action choreography and visual style. Rotten Tomatoes’ own roundup described the film as colorful, weird and noisy, and made with obvious affection for fans.

That split mirrors a familiar pattern for genre movies. Forbes noted that ‘Mortal Kombat’ scored middling-to-decent with critics but earned high audience scores, and ‘Street Fighter’ could follow a similar path.

All eyes now turn to the opening weekend. Box Office Pro projected a $30 million to $40 million domestic opening in late September, while Box Office Theory estimated $25 million to $35 million. A more cautious range of $22 million to $29 million has also circulated, with a global opening of around $70 million being floated as possible. The movie has a reported budget of $82 million, not counting marketing.

It opens in IMAX and RealD 3D against ‘Whalefall’, which is tracking for $10 million to $15 million, and ‘Sense and Sensibility’, so it is expected to take the weekend without needing a miracle. Strong word of mouth from fans could help it hold on in the following weeks.

For a franchise whose past movies were critical punching bags, the audience reaction is a rare bright spot. If the film’s fans keep showing up, the sequel setup that critics complained about may end up paying off.