Since being released last Friday, the rebooted Mortal Kombat has had a pretty positive response from audiences, if not critics, and appears to be bearing out Warner Bros.’s strategy of dual theatrical and HBO Max releases. Moreover, the production has had a solid debut weekend at the box office, taking in around $22.5 million, and is now the highest-grossing R-rated movie to arrive in cinemas during the pandemic.
Commenting on Twitter about Mortal Kombat‘s success so far, producer Todd Garner had this to say:
Thank you so much to all the fans! I am eternally grateful for all the positive comments and “constructive” criticisms we’ve received this weekend! Know that we are listening, and if we are blessed enough to go forward, will keep getting better (and hopefully bigger)! pic.twitter.com/VzskOnp0Pf
— Todd Garner (@Todd_Garner) April 25, 2021
Indeed, this impact has continued the performance of Godzilla vs. Kong, another major WB theatrical release that received its HBO Max premiere at the same time. As chains increasingly open up across the US, and particularly in key markets such as LA and New York, studios will be hoping that an industry thrown into disarray by COVID-19 can start clawing back towards some sense of normalcy.
Although there isn’t a lot of competition for Mortal Kombat right now, it did still have to overcome a challenge from Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train, which took home a still respectable $19.5 million. In a nice bit of coincidence, the video game adaptation also did very similar business to the 1995 version of the story.
Warners have now enjoyed four of its pictures opening at the top of the box office in 2021, albeit with a limited playing field. According to Deadline, several of the tactics that helped Mortal Kombat perform well included releasing the first seven minutes of the feature as a preview, and canny advertising spots to bring out customers in available areas of the country.
Meanwhile, a sequel to Mortal Kombat now seems to be all-but-assured, and will hopefully satisfy fans that were disappointed with notable omissions from the Simon McQuoid-directed effort. I caught up with the film yesterday, and while it’s not as effective as Godzilla vs. Kong, it’s still a decent action experience enlivened by a few significantly gory fatalities. Going forward, then, Warners and the rest of the majors must have renewed confidence about salvaging the summer blockbuster season, at least to a partial degree.
from Movies – We Got This Covered https://ift.tt/3xoOAKZ
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