“Mortal Kombat II” Scores Huge Box Office Victory Over “The Devil Wears Prada 2”
Mortal Kombat II has taken over the North American box office after beating The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Friday, giving Warner Bros. another strong video game movie launch.
According to early box office numbers reported by Variety, the action sequel earned around $17 million on Friday from more than 3,500 theaters across the United States and Canada. Initial weekend projections had the film opening closer to $35 million, but updated estimates now suggest the movie could finish the weekend with roughly $41 million domestically.
The sequel reportedly had a much bigger budget than the 2021 movie, costing around $80 million to produce. The original Mortal Kombat opened during the pandemic era and launched simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, eventually earning $84 million worldwide. Industry analysts now believe the sequel could pass that total much faster thanks to stronger theatrical conditions and growing interest in video game adaptations.
One of the biggest additions this time is Karl Urban joining the franchise as Johnny Cage, one of the most popular characters from the games. Director Simon McQuoid returned for the sequel, while Jeremy Slater wrote the script.
The movie follows Johnny Cage and Earth’s fighters as they battle the powerful emperor Shao Kahn. The cast also includes Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Tati Gabrielle, and Tadanobu Asano.
Meanwhile, The Devil Wears Prada 2 dropped to second place after leading last weekend’s box office. The comedy-drama sequel earned $9.8 million on Friday and is still expected to have a strong second weekend overall. Some estimates suggest the movie could add more than $40 million by Sunday, which would push its domestic total past $140 million.
Elsewhere at the box office, Michael continued its impressive run in third place. The Michael Jackson biopic added another $8.8 million on Friday and is projected to reach nearly $239 million domestically by the end of the weekend.
New releases also included Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), which opened with $4.5 million on Friday. According to Variety, the concert film is expected to make around $8 million during its opening weekend.
Another newcomer, Sheep Detectives, also entered theaters this weekend. The family mystery movie, based on the novel Three Bags Full, brought in $4 million on Friday and could finish the weekend near $15 million domestically.
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