2026’s Most Surprising Movie Sequel Is an Immediate Streaming Hit, and It Got Fans Watching the Whole Franchise

It’s never a surprise when critics and audiences can’t get on the same page about a movie and whether it was actually worth the time it took to watch. It’s even less surprising when that argument happens surrounding the release of a sequel—or a video game adaptation. And that’s exactly what happened with this video game adaptation reboot, with critics calling it middling at best despite casual viewers singing its praises to the tune of an 87% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And now this sequel, along with its immediate predecessor and the film that kicked the adaptation train off all the way back in 1995, is dominating the streaming charts.

Mortal Kombat II is officially the #1 movie on HBO’s Top 10 Most Watched list, with its predecessor, Mortal Kombat, snagging the #2 spot. The original Mortal Kombat movie, which aired in 1995, has also climbed the chart—sliding into the #6 spot with relative ease. And what does this tell fans of the franchise? That the announcement of the third installment in the franchise can’t be that far off—which is great news, considering there was a highly anticipated villain missing from the second film. It’s also worth noting that the third film was given the green light after the 2021 release of Mortal Kombat, though there’s been no word on whether the script in development will see the light of day after the slightly less-than-stellar box office results of the second movie.

There’s a Ton of Potential for More Mortal Kombat Films

One thing that both the first and second Mortal Kombat films have done well is putting together the scaffolding for future projects—especially as the second movie aligned itself more closely with the gameplay that fans have come to know and love. It’s also set up future films for fatalities that audiences are desperate to see on the big screen. The sequel centers on Johnny Cage, who, when tapped to help defend Earthrealm from the tyrant Shao Khan, refuses the call. Eventually, though, he gives in and follows familiar faces like Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, and Raiden in a battle to free Earthrealm. Meanwhile, Kitana’s loyalties are tested, as her mother, Sindel, has been made into the undead consort of Shao Kahn.

Overall, the sequel has taken everything that the first Mortal Kombat film got right, expanding the universe while remaining as faithful to the game as possible while adapting it to the big screen. And it’s obvious that the casual viewers got this one right—Mortal Kombat II is violently, wildly entertaining.

Are you hoping for a third Mortal Kombat movie? Let us know your favorite moments from the first two movies in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans of the franchise are saying.