Mortal Kombat (film series)

Film series based on video game franchise

Mortal Kombat

Official film series logo

Directed by|

* Paul W. S. Anderson (1)
* John R. Leonetti (2)
* Simon McQuoid (3–4)

Based on| Mortal Kombat
by Ed Boon & John Tobias
Produced by|

* Lawrence Kasanoff
* James Wan
* Todd Garner

Production
companies

* New Line Cinema
* Threshold Entertainment
* NetherRealm Studios
* Atomic Monster
* Broken Road Productions
* Warner Bros. Animation

Distributed by| Warner Bros. Pictures
New Line Cinema (1–2)

Release dates

* August 18, 1995 (1995-08-18) (1)
* November 21, 1997 (1997-11-21) (2)
* April 23, 2021 (2021-04-23) (3)

Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| Total (3 films)
$103 million
Box office| Total (3 films)
$204.2 million

Mortal Kombat is an American series of martial arts action films based on the fighting video game series of the same name by Midway Games. The first film was produced by Lawrence Kasanoff’s Threshold Entertainment.

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

[edit]

### Animated

[edit]

Film  | U.S. release date  | Director(s)  | Screenwriter(s)  | Producer(s)

|
|
|
|

Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins | April 11, 1995  | Joseph Francis  | Kevin Droney  | Alison Savitch & Lawrence Kasanoff
Mortal Kombat Legends series
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge | April 14, 2020  | Ethan Spaulding | Jeremy Adams  | Rick Morales
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms | August 31, 2021  | Jim Krieg & Rick Morales
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind | October 11, 2022  | Rick Morales  | Jim Krieg
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match | October 17, 2023  | Ethan Spaulding
Mortal Kombat Legends: Fall of Edenia | TBA  | Rick Morales

#### Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)

[edit]

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)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge

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)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms

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)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind

##### Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match

In an interview in October 2022, Jeremy Adams revealed that he is writing the 5th Mortal Kombat Legends film.[8] It serves as a prequel to Scorpion's Revenge.

##### Mortal Kombat Legends: Fall of Edenia (TBA)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat Legends: Fall of Edenia

### Live-action

[edit]

Film  | U.S. release date  | Director(s)  | Screenwriter(s)  | Story by  | Producer(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 2 | October 24, 2025  | Jeremy Slater[9] | Todd Garner, James Wan, Simon McQuoid, E. Bennett Walsh & Toby Emmerich

#### Mortal Kombat (1995)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat (1995 film)

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)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat Annihilation

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

#### Mortal Kombat (2021)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat (2021 film)

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 2 (2025)

[edit]

Main article: Mortal Kombat 2 (film)

## Cast and crew

[edit]

### Recurring cast and characters

[edit]

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.

Characters  | Animated films | Live-action films

|
|

Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins | Mortal Kombat Legends | Mortal Kombat | Mortal Kombat Annihilation | Mortal Kombat | Mortal Kombat 2
Scorpion's Revenge | Battle of the Realms | Snow Blind | Cage Match
1995 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 1995 | 1997 | 2021 | 2025
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 | Pictured | Dave B. Mitchell  | Christopher Lambert | James Remar | Tadanobu Asano
Hanzo Hasashi
Scorpion | Ed BoonU | Patrick Seitz |  | Chris Casamassa  | J. J. Perry | Hiroyuki Sanada
Ed BoonVU | Ed BoonV
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 TagawaA | Chin Han
Goro | Ron A. Feinberg  | Kevin Michael Richardson |  | Tom Woodruff Jr.U |  | Angus Sampson |
Kevin Michael RichardsonVU
Frank WelkerVU
Kitana |  | Grey DeLisle |  | Talisa Soto |  | Adeline Rudolph
Jax |  | Ike Amadi |  | Gregory McKinney  | Lynn Red Williams  | Mehcad Brooks
Shao Kahn |  | Fred Tatasciore |  | Frank WelkerU | 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 Butler  |  | J. J. Perry  |
Smoke |  | Matthew Mercer |  | Ridley Tsui  |
Reiko |  | Robin Atkin Downes  |  | Nathan Jones |
Kabal |  | Keith Silverstein |  | Daniel Nelson  |
Damon HerrimanV |
Reptile |  | Appeared |  | Keith Cooke  | Keith CookeA | CGI |
Frank WelkerV
Chan Kang[a] |  | Steven Ho | Steven HoA |
Sindel |  | Musetta Vander |  | Ana Thu Nguyen
Mileena |  | Dana Hee | Sisi Stringer  |
Baraka |  | Dennis Keiffer  |  | C.J Bloomfield
Cole Young[b] |  | Lewis Tan

### Crew

[edit]

Occupation  | Film

|

Mortal Kombat | Mortal Kombat Annihilation | Mortal Kombat
Director(s)  | Paul W. S. Anderson | John R. Leonetti | Simon McQuoid
Producer  | Lawrence Kasanoff | James Wan
Todd Garner
Simon McQuoid
E. Bennett Walsh
Writer(s)  | Kevin Droney  | Screenplay 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
Composer  | George S. Clinton | Benjamin Wallfisch
Director(s) of photography  | John R. Leonetti  | Matthew F. Leonetti | Germain McMicking
Editor(s)  | Martin Hunter  | Peck Prior  | Scott Gray
Dan Lebental
Production company(s)  | Threshold Entertainment | Atomic Monster
New Line Cinema
Broken Road Productions
Distributor(s)  | New Line Cinema  | Warner Bros. Pictures

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office performance

[edit]

Film  | U.S. release date  | Box office revenue  | Budget  | Reference

|
|
|
|

United States  | International  | Worldwide
Original series
Mortal Kombat | August 18, 1995 (1995-08-18) | $73,000,000  | $51,741,822  | $122,195,920  | $18 million  | [10]
Mortal Kombat Annihilation | November 21, 1997  | $35,927,406  | $15,449,455  | $51,376,861  | $30 million  | [11][12]
Reboot series
Mortal Kombat | April 23, 2021  | $42,201,013  | $41,400,000  | $83,601,013  | $55 million  | [13][14]
Total  | $117,957,406 | $86,391,277 | $204,348,683 | $103 million  |

### Critical and public response

[edit]

Film  | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[15]

|
|
|

Mortal Kombat | 45% (44 reviews)[16] | 60 (13 reviews)[17] | A–
Mortal Kombat Annihilation | 4% (50 reviews)[18] | 11 (12 reviews)[19] | C+
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge | 90% (21 reviews)[20] |  |
Mortal Kombat | 54% (292 reviews)[21] | 44 (43 reviews)[22] | B+
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms | 50% (6 reviews)[23] |  |

## Music

[edit]

Title  | U.S. release date  | Length  | Performed by  | Label

|
|
|
|

Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | August 15, 1995  | 68:28  | Various Artists  | TVT
Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Score | October 11, 1995  | 42:01  | George S. Clinton | Rykodisc
Mortal Kombat Annihilation: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | October 28, 1997  | 72:08  | Various Artists  | TVT
Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | April 16, 2021  | 79:37  | Benjamin Wallfisch | WaterTower Music

## Novelizations

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

1. ^ Andy Chalk. "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. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
8. ^ "Interview with Jeremy Adams | Interviers S01E01". YouTube.
9. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 26, 2022). "New Line Moving Forward With 'Mortal Kombat' Sequel; 'Moon Knight' Scribe Jeremy Slater Scripting". Deadline. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
10. ^ "Mortal Kombat". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
11. ^ "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)". The Numbers. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
12. ^ "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
13. ^ "Mortal Kombat (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
14. ^ Lang, Brett (April 24, 2021). "'Mortal Kombat,' 'Demon Slayer' Locked in Fierce Box Office Battle". Variety. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
15. ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
16. ^ "Mortal Kombat reviews". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
17. ^ "Mortal Kombat reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
18. ^ "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
19. ^ "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
20. ^ "Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
21. ^ "Mortal Kombat". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
22. ^ "Mortal Kombat (2021) Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
23. ^ "Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved January 21, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Mortal Kombat at IMDb
* Mortal Kombat Annihilation at IMDb
* Mortal Kombat at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Mortal Kombat

Video games|

| Main series|

* Mortal Kombat (1992)
* Mortal Kombat II
* Mortal Kombat 3
* Ultimate
* Trilogy
* Advance
* Mortal Kombat 4
* Gold
* Deadly Alliance
* Deception
* Armageddon
* vs. DC Universe
* Mortal Kombat (2011)
* Mortal Kombat X
* Mobile
* Mortal Kombat 11
* Mortal Kombat 1 (2023)

|

Spin-offs|

* Mythologies: Sub-Zero
* Special Forces
* Shaolin Monks
* Onslaught

Compilations|

* Arcade Kollection

Films|

| Theatrical films|

* Mortal Kombat (1995)
* Annihilation (1997)
* Mortal Kombat (2021)
* Mortal Kombat 2 (2025)

|

Legends|

* Scorpion's Revenge
* Battle of the Realms
* Snow Blind
* Cage Match

Other media|

| TV / web series|

* Defenders of the Realm
* Conquest
* Rebirth
* Legacy
* episodes

|

Music|

* The Album
* Mortal Kombat (1995 soundtrack)
* Mortal Kombat (1995 score)
* More Kombat
* Annihilation
* Songs Inspired by the Warriors
* Mortal Kombat (2021 soundtrack)

Other|

* Live Tour
* Epic Battles

Characters|

* Cassie Cage
* Ermac
* Jade
* Jax
* Johnny Cage
* Kano
* Kenshi
* Kitana
* Kung Jin
* Kung Lao
* Liu Kang
* Mileena
* Nightwolf
* Raiden
* Reptile
* Scorpion
* Shang Tsung
* Shao Kahn
* Sonya Blade
* Sub-Zero

Related|

* Controversies
* Fatality
* Midway Games
* NetherRealm Studios
* Injustice
* Gods Among Us
* 2
* "Immortal"

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Warner Bros. Discovery franchises and series

Warner Bros. Entertainment|

| Warner Bros. Pictures|

* Ace Ventura
* Beetlejuice
* Blade Runner
* Cats & Dogs
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
* A Cinderella Story
* A Christmas Story
* Clash of the Titans
* Deep Blue Sea
* The Shining
* The Fugitive
* Gremlins
* Dirty Harry
* Free Willy
* The Hangover
* The NeverEnding Story
* Lethal Weapon
* The Lost Boys
* The Exorcist
* The Matrix
* Monsterverse
* King Kong
* National Lampoon's Vacation
* Ocean's
* Police Academy
* Pure Country
* The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
* Wizarding World
* Harry Potter
* Fantastic Beasts

|

Warner Bros. Animation,
and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation|

* DC Animated Universe
* DC Universe Animated Original Movies
* DC Animated Movie Universe
* Hanna-Barbera
* Jonny Quest
* Wacky Races
* Scooby-Doo
* Scooby-Doo! films
* The Lego Movie
* Looney Tunes
* ThunderCats
* Tom and Jerry

New Line Cinema|

* Austin Powers
* Barbershop
* Blade
* The Conjuring Universe
* Dungeons & Dragons
* Critters
* Final Destination
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
* Friday
* Friday the 13th
* The Mask
* Horizon: An American Saga
* Middle-earth
* The Hobbit
* The Lord of the Rings
* Mortal Kombat
* Dumb and Dumber
* Harold & Kumar
* House Party
* A Nightmare on Elm Street
* Rush Hour
* Poison Ivy

Warner Bros. Discovery Networks|

| Entertainment Group
(Warner Bros. Television)|

* Arrowverse
* Babylon 5
* Treasure Island
* The Vampire Diaries Universe
* V
* Westworld

|

The Cartoon Network, Inc.|

* Adventure Time
* Ben 10
* Johnny Bravo
* The Powerpuff Girls
* Rick and Morty
* The Vindicators

Warner Bros. Discovery
Global Experiences|

| Warner Bros.
Games|

* DC
* Rampage
* Rush
* Area 51
* Scribblenauts
* NetherRealm Studios
* Injustice
* Mortal Kombat
* Portkey Games
* Harry Potter
* Rocksteady Studios
* Batman: Arkham
* Monolith Productions
* F.E.A.R.
* Middle-Earth
* TT Games
* Lego

|

DC Comics|

* Batman
* DC Extended Universe
* Aquaman
* Flash
* DC Universe
* Green Lantern
* Joker
* Justice League
* Superman
* Wonder Woman

* Category

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template