‘Street Fighter’ Scores the Franchise’s Biggest Opening Day, But Can It Keep Its Momentum?
Video game adaptations have spent decades trying to land a clean knockout at the box office. With the new ‘Street Fighter’ box office debut, Paramount and Legendary are the latest to step into the ring, and the early numbers are a mix of record-setting and cautionary.
The franchise has a rocky big-screen history. The 1994 live-action film earned about $99.4 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, while 2009’s ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’ managed just $12.7 million worldwide.
That is the backdrop for Kitao Sakurai’s reboot, which opened in 3,575 North American theaters. On its first day, it grossed roughly $13 million, including about $4 million from Thursday previews, according to Friday reporting. The previews alone beat Paramount’s ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’, which opened to $3 million in 2020.
#StreetFighter starts strong already with the biggest opening of the franchise at US #BoxOffice in just one day, but audiences joining critics with mixed WOM giving it a B- #CinemaScore (terrible for PG-13 films) can make it a short lived win, after grossing 13M on #2 BIGGEST FRI Opening Day ever for fighting video game adaptations (only below #MortalKombat2’s 16.8M), including 4M THU Previews. That’s already over 2x more any previous #StreetFighterMovie has made on their whole opening weekends. Eyeing a 30M-35M 3-day opening weekend in the U.S. what would be the #2 biggest opening ever for a fighting game adaptation domestically & by far the biggest for #StreetFighter films, crushing 1994 #StreetFighter ’s 6.9M & 2009 #TheLegendofChunLi’s 4.7M opening weekends.
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 17, 2026
Context matters here. The $13 million opening day is the biggest of any film in the franchise, and it is the second-biggest Friday opening ever for a fighting game adaptation. Only ‘Mortal Kombat II’, with $16.8 million, ranks higher.
The early figures also put the earlier films in perspective. The reboot has already grossed more than twice what any previous ‘Street Fighter’ movie made over a full opening weekend. The 1994 film opened to $6.9 million and ‘The Legend of Chun-Li’ to $4.7 million.
Projections point to an opening weekend of about $30 million to $35 million, with Deadline estimating around $31 million. That would make it the first-place finisher in a crowded new-release weekend and the second-biggest domestic opening ever for a fighting game adaptation.
The headline is strong, but the fine print is less so. The film landed a B- CinemaScore, the same grade audiences gave the 1994 version, and a notch below the B earned by ‘Mortal Kombat II’. Its Rotten Tomatoes audience score sits at 80%, against 86% for the rival film.
That comparison matters because ‘Mortal Kombat II’ proved to be frontloaded. The worry is that ‘Street Fighter’ follows the same pattern, with fans rushing out on opening weekend and word of mouth cooling quickly after that.
It also came in on the lower end of expectations. The Hollywood Reporter said the studio had hoped for a debut in the mid-$30 millions, and ‘Mortal Kombat II’ opened to $38.5 million in May. Pre-release tracking had ranged from $25 million to $40 million.
Reviews have been mixed. The film sits at around 41% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 49 reviews, with critics praising the leads, animated sequences, action and overall look while criticizing a sloppy script, juvenile humor and an abrupt, sequel-bait ending.
Not everyone is down on it. Time Out gave it 3 out of 5 stars, calling it a campy, silly reboot that sticks the landing in an age of grim, desaturated blockbusters. The review also credits its hypersaturated neon colors and sense of fun, even if it finds the whole thing somewhat exhausting.
That split fits the film’s pitch. It is a goofier, more kid-friendly PG-13 take, a clear contrast to the bloody ‘Mortal Kombat’ movies, and its marketing leaned hard into the silliness of the games.
The ensemble is a big part of the draw. Andrew Koji plays Ryu, Noah Centineo is Ken Masters and Callina Liang plays Chun-Li, with Jason Momoa as Blanka and David Dastmalchian as M. Bison. Cody Rhodes is Guile, 50 Cent is Balrog, Orville Peck is Vega, and Roman Reigns plays Akuma.
Set in 1993, the story follows estranged fighters Ryu and Ken as Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. A deadly conspiracy lurks behind the competition, forcing the former friends to face each other.
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
The real test comes next weekend. If the second frame holds up better than the B- grade suggests, the reboot could grow into a modest hit. If it drops sharply, the franchise-best opening may turn out to be a short-lived win.
International box office will also play a big role in deciding whether the film earns a follow-up. For a series with this history, a domestic opening that doubles every prior film is a major step, even if it isn’t the knockout Paramount wanted.
Do you think the new Street Fighter movie can maintain its box office momentum after opening weekend?
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