Mortal Kombat (film series)

Last updated

Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat logo.svg
Official film series logo
Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson (1)
John R. Leonetti (2)
Simon McQuoid (3–4)
Based on
Mortal Kombat
by
Distributed by New Line Cinema (1–2)
Warner Bros. Pictures (3–4)
Release dates
  • August 18, 1995 (1995-08-18)(1)
  • November 21, 1997 (1997-11-21)(2)
  • April 23, 2021 (2021-04-23)(3)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetTotal (3 films)
$103 million
Box officeTotal (3 films)
$204.2 million

Mortal Kombat is an American series of martial arts fantasy films based on the video game series of the same name.

Contents

The first live-action film, Mortal Kombat , was released in 1995 and its sequel, Mortal Kombat Annihilation , was released in 1997. After the two films, game publisher Midway filed for bankruptcy. Warner Bros., having become the parent of New Line Cinema in 2008 (after over a decade of both operating as separate divisions of Time Warner), made a bid to purchase most of Midway's assets, including Mortal Kombat. In June 2009, Kasanoff and Threshold sued in bankruptcy court, arguing that they owned the copyright to many of the characters from the series. [1]

On July 1, 2009, the bankruptcy court approved the sale of most of Midway's assets to Warner Bros. [2] subject to the intellectual property claims of Threshold Entertainment. [3] After years of development hell, a reboot of the series was released in April 2021.

Films

Animated

FilmU.S. release dateDirector(s)Screenwriter(s)Producer(s)
Mortal Kombat: The Journey BeginsApril 11, 1995Joseph FrancisKevin DroneyAlison Savitch & Lawrence Kasanoff
Mortal Kombat Legends series
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge April 14, 2020 Ethan Spaulding Jeremy AdamsRick Morales
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms August 31, 2021Jim Krieg & Rick Morales
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind October 11, 2022Rick MoralesJim Krieg
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match October 17, 2023Ethan Spaulding

Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)

On April 11, 1995, [4] New Line Home Video, Turner Home Entertainment and Threshold Entertainment released a tie-in animated film on VHS and Laserdisc, titled Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins. Serving as a prequel to the in-development 1995 feature film, it follows the protagonists Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade as they travel on a mysterious boat to the Mortal Kombat tournament. On the way they meet Raiden, who provides them with some hints about how to survive the tournament and defeat Shang Tsung and his army of Tarkatan minions. Upon arriving at the island where the battles takes place, Raiden retells the origins of Shang Tsung, Goro, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and the Great Kung Lao in between fight scenes.

The film featured a combination of traditional animation, motion capture, and CGI to explain the origins behind some of the movie's main characters, as well as a fifteen-minute behind-the-scenes documentary of the theatrical release. Trailers of the film were seen on the promotional screener VHS copy, and on other VHS releases from Turner Home Entertainment and New Line Home Video. The film was included on the Mortal Kombat Blu-ray released in April 2011.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)

A direct-to-video animated film called Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge was released by Warner Bros. Animation on digital April 14, 2020, and on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on April 28. The film is directed by Ethan Spaulding and written by Jeremy Adams. The voice cast includes Patrick Seitz as Scorpion, Steve Blum as Sub-Zero, Darin De Paul as Quan Chi, Jordan Rodrigues as Liu Kang, Joel McHale as Johnny Cage, & Jennifer Carpenter as Sonya Blade. Kevin Michael Richardson also reprises his role of Goro from the 1995 live action film. [5] The film's premise centers around Scorpion seeking revenge on those who murdered his family and clan, after being resurrected by Quan Chi, while Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade are chosen to participate in the Mortal Kombat tournament to save Earthrealm from Outworld.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)

A sequel, entitled Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, with most of the cast and crew from Scorpion's Revenge, was released on August 31, 2021. [6] [7]

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022)
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)

In an interview in October 2022, Jeremy Adams revealed that he is writing the 4th Mortal Kombat Legends film. [8] It serves as a prequel to Scorpion's Revenge.

Live-action

FilmU.S. release dateDirector(s)Screenwriter(s)Story byProducer(s)
Original series
Mortal Kombat August 18, 1995 Paul W. S. Anderson Kevin Droney Lawrence Kasanoff
Mortal Kombat Annihilation November 21, 1997 John R. Leonetti Bryce Zabel & Brent V. Friedman John Tobias, Joshua Wexler & Lawrence Kasanoff
Reboot series
Mortal Kombat April 23, 2021 Simon McQuoid Greg Russo & David Callaham Greg Russo & Oren Uziel James Wan, Todd Garner, Simon McQuoid & E. Bennett Walsh
Mortal Kombat II May 15, 2026 Jeremy Slater James Wan, Todd Garner, Toby Emmerich, Simon McQuoid & E. Bennett Walsh

Mortal Kombat (1995)

Three unknown martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world.

Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997)

A group of martial arts warriors have only six days to save the Earth from an extra-dimensional invasion.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

A washed-up mixed martial arts fighter named Cole Young is unaware of his hidden lineage or why Lin Kuei assassin Sub-Zero is hunting him down. Concerned for the safety of his family, he seeks out a clique of fighters that were chosen to defend Earthrealm against Outworld.

Mortal Kombat II (2026)

Following the events of Mortal Kombat, Lord Raiden task Earthrealm champions to find new warriors to prepare the upcoming tournament against Outworld, with one such recruit being an aging Hollywood martial artist, Johnny Cage.

Cast and crew

Recurring cast and characters

List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
  •  U indicates an uncredited appearance.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
  •  Y indicates a younger version of the character.
Characters Animated films Live-action films
Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins Mortal Kombat Legends Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat Annihilation Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat II
Scorpion's Revenge Battle of the Realms Snow Blind Cage Match
199520202021202220231995199720212026
Liu Kang Randy Hamilton Jordan Rodrigues Statue Robin Shou Ludi Lin
Sonya Blade Jennifer Hale Jennifer Carpenter Bridgette Wilson Sandra Hess Jessica McNamee
Johnny Cage Jeff Glen Bennett Joel McHale Joel McHale Linden Ashby Chris Conrad Pictured Karl Urban
Raiden Ron A. Feinberg Dave B. Mitchell PicturedDave B. Mitchell Christopher Lambert James Remar Tadanobu Asano
Hanzo Hasashi
Scorpion 		Ed Boon U Patrick Seitz Chris Casamassa J. J. Perry Hiroyuki Sanada
Ed Boon V U Ed Boon V
Kuai Liang Sub-Zero Jim Cummings Bayardo De Murguia Ron Yuan Keith Cooke
Bi-Han Steve Blum François Petit Joe Taslim
Shang Tsung Artt Butler Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa A Chin Han
Goro Ron A. Feinberg Kevin Michael Richardson Tom Woodruff Jr. U Angus Sampson
Kevin Michael Richardson V U
Frank Welker V U
Kitana Grey DeLisle Talisa Soto Adeline Rudolph
Sophia Xu Y
Jax Ike Amadi Gregory McKinneyLynn Red Williams Mehcad Brooks
Shao Kahn Fred Tatasciore Frank Welker U Brian Thompson Pictured Martyn Ford
Shinnok Robin Atkin Downes Robin Atkin Downes Reiner Schöne Pictured
Quan Chi Darin De Paul Damon Herriman
Kano Robin Atkin Downes David Wenham Trevor Goddard Josh Lawson
Kung Lao Appeared Matt Yang King Max Huang
Jade Emily O'Brien Deleted scene Irina Pantaeva Tati Gabrielle
Cyrax Artt ButlerJ. J. Perry
Smoke Matthew Mercer Ridley Tsui
Reiko Robin Atkin Downes Nathan Jones
Kabal Keith Silverstein Daniel Nelson
Damon Herriman V
Reptile AppearedKeith CookeKeith Cooke A CGI
Frank Welker V
Chan Kang [a] Steven Ho Steven Ho A
Sindel Musetta Vander Ana Thu Nguyen
Mileena Dana Hee Sisi Stringer
Baraka Dennis Keiffer CJ Bloomfield
Cole Young [b] Lewis Tan

Crew

OccupationFilm
Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat Annihilation Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat II
Director(s) Paul W. S. Anderson John R. Leonetti Simon McQuoid
Producer Lawrence Kasanoff James Wan
Todd Garner
Simon McQuoid
E. Bennett Walsh		James Wan
Todd Garner
Toby Emmerich
E. Bennett Walsh
Simon McQuoid
Writer(s)Kevin DroneyScreenplay by
Bryce Zabel
Brent V. Friedman
Story by
John Tobias
Joshua Wexler
Lawrence Kasanoff		Screenplay by
Greg Russo
David Callaham
Story by
Greg Russo
Oren Uziel		 Jeremy Slater
Composer George S. Clinton Benjamin Wallfisch
Director(s) of photographyJohn R. Leonetti Matthew F. Leonetti Germain McMicking Stephen F. Windon
Editor(s)Martin HunterPeck PriorScott Gray
Dan Lebental		Stuart Levy
Production company(s) Threshold Entertainment New Line Cinema
Atomic Monster
Broken Road Productions		New Line Cinema
Atomic Monster
Broken Road Productions
Fireside Films
Distributor(s)New Line Cinema Warner Bros. Pictures

Reception

Box office performance

FilmU.S. release dateBox office revenueBudgetReference
United StatesInternationalWorldwide
Original series
Mortal Kombat August 18, 1995$73,000,000$51,741,822$122,195,920$18 million [9]
Mortal Kombat Annihilation November 21, 1997$35,927,406$15,449,455$51,376,861$30 million [10] [11]
Reboot series
Mortal Kombat April 23, 2021$42,201,013$41,400,000$83,601,013$55 million [12] [13]
Total$117,957,406$86,391,277$204,348,683$103 million

Critical and public response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore [14]
Mortal Kombat 45% (44 reviews) [15] 60 (13 reviews) [16] A–
Mortal Kombat Annihilation 4% (50 reviews) [17] 11 (12 reviews) [18] C+
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge 90% (21 reviews) [19]
Mortal Kombat 55% (300 reviews) [20] 44 (43 reviews) [21] B+
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms 50% (6 reviews) [22]

Music

TitleU.S. release dateLengthPerformed byLabel
Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack August 15, 199568:28Various Artists TVT
Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Score October 11, 199542:01 George S. Clinton Rykodisc
Mortal Kombat Annihilation: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack October 28, 199772:08Various ArtistsTVT
Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack April 16, 202179:37 Benjamin Wallfisch WaterTower Music

Novelizations

A novelization of the first movie by "Martin Delrio" (James D. Macdonald and Debra Doyle) was released through Tor Books. It is based on an early version of the film's script, and as such it includes several deleted or unfilmed scenes, such as a fight between Sonya Blade and Jade.

Notes

  1. ↑ Chan Kang does not appear in the video games, as he was an original character created specifically for the first live-action film.
  2. ↑ Cole Young does not appear in the video games, as he was an original character created specifically for the 2021 live action film, named as an Anglicisation of "Kuai Liang".

References

  1. ↑ Andy Chalk (June 26, 2009). "The Escapist : News : Midway Sued Over Mortal Kombat Rights". Escapistmagazine.com. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  2. ↑ Dunca, Geoff. "Time Warner Buying Most of Midway Games for $33 Mln". Digital Trends. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
  3. ↑ Gross, Kevin. In re: Midway Games Inc., et al., Debtors, Bankruptcy No. 09-10465; Threshold Entertainment, Inc. v. Midway Games Inc., et al., Adv. Case No. 09-51081, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, D. Delaware, March 29, 2011; and "Finish Him! Bankruptcy Court Dismissed Suit Over Mortal Kombat Intellectual Property Rights for Lack of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction", Morris James, LLP, September 2, 2011
  4. ↑ "Mortal Kombat on Video". GamePro . No. 69. IDG. April 1995. p. 24.
  5. ↑ Mortal Kombat Animated Movie in the Works With Joel McHale, Jennifer Carpenter – IGN, January 17, 2020, retrieved June 12, 2020
  6. ↑ "Mortal Kombat (Reboot) – WGA Directory". findawriter.wgaeast.org. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms Release Date, Box Art Revealed". GAMING. June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Interview with Jeremy Adams | Interviers S01E01". YouTube . October 27, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Mortal Kombat". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)". The Numbers . Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Mortal Kombat (2021)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  13. ↑ Lang, Brett (April 24, 2021). "'Mortal Kombat,' 'Demon Slayer' Locked in Fierce Box Office Battle". Variety. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  14. ↑ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Mortal Kombat reviews". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Mortal Kombat reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Mortal Kombat". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Mortal Kombat (2021) Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
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