‘Mortal Kombat’ Release Pushed to Late April

Mortal Kombat fans will have to wait just a little bit longer to see the latest installment in the action movie franchise. Variety reports that the Mortal Kombat release date has been pushed back by a week, with Warner Bros. rescheduling the film for an April 23 debut in theaters and on HBO Max, instead of the previously announced April 16 date.

The news, which first broke yesterday, came right before Warner Bros. was set to premiere their latest release, the monster movie Godzilla vs. Kong, which hit theaters and streaming on HBO Max today. Because Godzilla vs. Kong has already performed well in theaters overseas, the studio is pushing Mortal Kombat “to space out the potential blockbusters in an effort to avoid cannibalizing ticket sales,” according to Variety. The new release date is also reportedly a reaction to easing coronavirus restrictions, with theaters opening up to higher capacities than we’ve seen in months.

The new Mortal Kombat film comes years after the last film in the franchise, 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The new movie, which comes from director Simon McQuoid, has been in the works for over two decades, but fans finally got a glimpse at what’s to come with the release of the Mortal Kombat red-band trailer last month.

2021’s Mortal Kombat follows Cole Young (Lewis Tan), a mixed martial arts fighter who finds himself the target of mysterious assassins. In search of protection for himself and his family, Cole turns to a team of skilled fighters who are tasked with defending Earthrealm. By joining Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), and others, Cole fulfills his destiny as a fighter and prepares to take on Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim).

When Mortal Kombat does premiere later next month, it will be released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, where subscribers can watch the film at no additional cost for 30 days, after which it leaves the platform.

Where to watch Mortal Kombat (1995)