Mortal Kombat's impressive HBO Max record is great news for a potential sequel. There have already been talks about future movies being in development for the franchise. However, this has just made the possibility of a Mortal Kombat II far more likely.
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, WarnerMedia made the controversial move to have all their theatrical releases premiere on HBO Max simultaneously, hoping that doing so would increase the number of subscribers for the streaming service while also allowing audience the option of a safer approach to watching their films. Highly anticipated releases such as Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong managed to maintain successful numbers, while others such as The disappointed at the box office.
A report via Business Insider showed that many properties that otherwise suffered at the box office had high viewing numbers through HBO Max. The Suicide Squad, in particular, ranked third in 2021 with 2.8 million households viewing the movie during its opening weekend. However, it's Mortal Kombat that came out on top with 3.8 million households tuning in. While doing decently at the box office, it's the HBO Max record that will likely see Mortal Kombat get the sequels that have always been intended. Not only does it mean that the film has garnered huge interest, but HBO Max now allows Warner Bros. to deliver more content without having to rely solely on the box office.
If the streaming numbers for Mortal Kombat are anything to go by, there is clearly high demand for the studio to continue building on the franchise. Therefore, this success secures the possibility of a sequel and possibly even more should Warner Bros.'s interest in the project remain strong. Given how popular the franchise already is thanks to decades of video games, the potential is growing for these films to follow suit—and it's clear now that HBO Max had a hand in that.
