Mortal Kombat movie gets a release date

Warner Bros. has announced a March 5, 2021 release date for its recently revealed Mortal Kombat movie.

The movie will be produced by Aquaman director James Wan and helmed by Simon McQuoid, who was behind a popular live action PlayStation commercial. The film will begin shooting in Adelaide, Australia later this year, Variety reports.

The movie’s release date puts it on a collision course with a live action Masters of the Universe film from Sony Pictures, a fantasy adventure starring Noah Centineo as He-Man.

While it was poorly received by critics, the original Mortal Kombat movie grossed over $120 million worldwide following its release in 1995. Its sequel, 2007’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, grossed $50 million.

The Mortal Kombat video game franchise launched in 1992. According to co-creator Ed Boon, it had sold over 46 million units prior to the release of the most recent series entry, April 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11.

VGC’s 4/5 Mortal Kombat 11 review said the NetherRealm developed title’s “close to being the best all-round fighting game package, but falls just short due to an aggressive need for currency grinding to unlock content”.

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu recently made a strong start at the box office, breaking North American records for a video game adaptation as it grossed $161 million worldwide during its opening weekend.