How Much Mortal Kombat 2 Cost To Make & What It Needs To Be A Box Office Success

Mortal Kombat II hits theaters this week, and could be another successful video game film adaptation. Video game movies have been performing well at the box office recently. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has made around $889.3 million worldwide, A Minecraft Movie earned around $960.4 million worldwide, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 grossed around $492.2 million worldwide. Mortal Kombat II has a chance to continue video game movie's success at the box office.

2021's Mortal Kombat brought the popular fighting video game series back to the silver screen. 5 years later, the sequel continues the story from the first film, and adds even more characters. In the sequel, Johnny Cage is recruited to join Earthrealm's defenders in their fight against Shao Khan in the Mortal Kombat tournament. The film includes a large roster of characters, including Kitana, Jade, Jax Briggs, Sonya Blade, Scorpion, Kano, Liu Kang, Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Cole Young.

The Mortal Kombat franchise has had mixed success at the box office. The 1995 film was a hit, grossing around $122.2 million worldwide on an $18 million budget, according to IMDB. The 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, failed to repeat the first film's success, earning around $51.4 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. The 2021 film also wasn't a box office hit, as the film grossed over $84.4 million worldwide on a $55 million budget.

Mortal Kombat II has an opportunity to outperform the first film, and possibly set up the franchise for future success. While the sequel does have a higher budget than the first film, it is also in a better position to succeed.

Mortal Kombat II's Budget Is Reportedly $80 Million

Warner Bros. is investing in this franchise by increasing the budget for the upcoming sequel. According to Variety, Mortal Kombat II was "produced for $80 million." While it is a larger budget than the first film, that is a moderate budget for a franchise film. For example, according to Collider, The Mandalorian and Grogu, which releases on May 22, 2026, has an "overall production budget of $166.4 million."

Mortal Kombat II's increased budget could be for several reasons. There are plenty of fights in the film, filled with effects that could drive up the production budget. Additionally, this film has more star power than before, as it introduces Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. It's the latest franchise for Urban, who has also been a part of The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and The Boys. Other actors in this film include Adeline Rudolph, Tati Gabrielle, Martyn Ford, Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

How Much Mortal Kombat II Needs To Earn To Be A Box Office Success

In Hollywood, a film traditionally needs to earn around double what the budget was. The reason is that there are other costs that need to be covered that are not included in the production budget. With an $80 million production budget, this means that Mortal Kombat II would need to make at least $160 million, nearly double what the original film made. However, there are a few reasons why the sequel has a chance of performing better than the first film.

Unlike the 2021 film, Mortal Kombat II is a theatrical exclusive. The first film premiered in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. For the sequel, audiences will have to go to theaters if they want to see the film. Additionally, the film is expected to have a higher opening than its predecessor.

According to Variety, Mortal Kombat II is "tracking a debut of $40 million to $45 million" domestically and "$30 million at the international box office," meaning its "global start could range from $70 million to $80 million." In comparison, the first film "opened to $23 million." If its opening projections are accurate, that means the sequel would be around halfway to what it needs to be profitable. Given the film's positive reception from critics with a 70% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, it could have the legs at the box office that it needs to propell it to success.