The upcoming Warner Bros. Mortal Kombat film has got a new poster and an April 16, 2021 release date. The famously gory franchise got its start with 1992's Mortal Kombat, an arcade fighting game focused on an interdimensional martial arts tournament between humans and various demonic humanoids. The series draws heavily from East Asian aesthetics and fighting styles, incorporating obscene violence through brutal finishing moves called fatalities. The games have an enduring fanbase, with an eleventh main series entry releasing just last year. A martial arts action flick seemed a no-brainer in 1995 and that first adaptation, Mortal Kombat, is regarded as perhaps one of the best video game movies of all time, though anyone familiar with the infamous history of video game movies will know that's not saying much. The sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation fared worse than its predecessor critically and financially, so a planned third entry was canceled.
Warner Bros. is taking another crack at bringing the franchise to the silver screen, and Mortal Kombat was set to release in January 2021, but the coronavirus pandemic pushed it and pretty much every other forthcoming film in existence back. In November, producer Todd Garner said that the Mortal Kombat trailer would not release until theaters reopen, which frustrated fans who under normal circumstances would have already seen it. With a vaccine on the way, the future of theaters in 2021 is still up in the air. As such, a trailer has still not been released.
Regardless, the official Mortal Kombat Twitter shared a poster for the film as well as confirmed an April 16 release date, just about three months after it was supposed to come out. The film will release both in theaters and exclusively on HBO Max according to the caption. The poster itself is simplistic but instantly recognizable with the series' rearing dragon logo the main focus. Check it out below:
Warner Bros. is releasing all of its 2021 films in both theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously. Theater distributors are none too thrilled by the idea. No one can be certain of how the pandemic will develop in 2021, so making a decision for the entire year is a bold move by Warner Bros. WB will likely use Mortal Kombat and other anticipated releases to funnel subscribers to its fledgling streamer. They may just find they like releasing films on their own platform enough to keep doing it past 2021.
The poster and release date are a long time coming. Mortal Kombat fans have stuck with the franchise through highs and lows. The last film in the franchise has 2% on Rotten Tomatoes, a lowest low for sure. Nevertheless, love for the history of the series persists, with skins of the actors from the first film just recently releasing for Mortal Kombat 11. Those diehard fans will most assuredly come out, or stay in, to see Mortal Kombat in April.
Source: Mortal Kombat Movie via Twitter