‘Street Fighter’ Opens to Shaky Letterboxd Score as Late Review Embargo Has Fans Bracing for a Knockout

Few video game franchises have had a rougher time on the big screen than ‘Street Fighter‘. The 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme sits at just 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, while 2009’s ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’ fared even worse at 3%. Yet the first became a box office survivor, grossing $99.4 million worldwide on a $35 million budget despite being panned.

This time, the stakes look different. Video game adaptations are riding high, and Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ set a franchise record with a reported $60 million debut and a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score. Capcom’s other fighting-game giant now has a chance to prove it can do the same.

But the early signals are less than ideal. ‘Street Fighter’ has debuted on Letterboxd with just 3 out of 5 stars, and the review embargo had not been lifted on Thursday morning. Box office watchers note that Skydance-owned Paramount appears to be following the same playbook Universal used for ‘Other Mommy’ last week.

Press screenings were only held late on Wednesday afternoon, leaving critics very little time before the film opens Friday. Studios often hold reviews that late when they expect bad ones, and moviegoers making weekend plans will see the scores land in real time.

The ‘Other Mommy’ comparison is telling. That Universal horror film also faced scathing reviews, holding an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes and a D+ CinemaScore. Even so, it topped the box office with a $27.5 million opening against a budget of around $19 million.

Not everyone sees the late embargo as a death knell. Some analysts note that plenty of films have overcome the concern, and that if reviews are strong, it will be forgotten quickly. But the move adds to a picture that was already shaky.

Social reactions after the Los Angeles premiere were mixed but mostly positive. Viewers praised the fight scenes, the camp 1990s tone and the 2D animated flashbacks, while criticizing the story and some of the jokes. Callina Liang’s Chun-Li and Cody Rhodes’ Guile drew particular praise, with Rhodes earning big laughs.

Full reviews are now starting to appear, and they lean lukewarm. One outlet called the film an opportunity squandered, arguing that it spends so much time arranging the tournament that it never delivers the knockout punch. Another gave it 2 stars, calling it pure fan service where the fights please fans, even if the story hardly matters.

Kalshi traders had forecast a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score, which would put it in “Rotten” territory. Those predictions were based largely on early buzz, so the final number could move in either direction.

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

Tracking has been choppy. Projections for the domestic opening range from $22 million to $35 million, with Variety placing it at $25 million to $35 million from 3,500 theaters and projecting a No. 1 debut. Global Box Office said a good final day of pre-sales pushed its tracking to $27 million to $34 million.

The budget complicates things. Reports range from $82 million to $120 million, and Paramount hasn’t confirmed an official figure. A soft opening would mean the film has to hold well for weeks to make its money back.

The movie is set in 1993, the same year ‘Street Fighter II’ conquered arcades. Estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are recruited by Chun-Li (Callina Liang) for the next World Warrior Tournament, which hides a deadly conspiracy. The ensemble also includes Roman Reigns as Akuma, Jason Momoa as Blanka, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison and 50 Cent as Balrog.

Director Kitao Sakurai, known for ‘Beef’ and ‘Bad Trip’, told Polygon that the anime-inspired animation for the backstories was a deliberate, bold choice. He wanted them to be bursts of energy rather than something cheesy. The film is rated PG-13 and opens in IMAX and RealD 3D.

Ultimately, this franchise has never needed critical love to find an audience. If the film connects with fans, a rough Letterboxd start and a late embargo may be forgotten by Monday.

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