MORTAL KOMBAT III Director Says the Movie’s Future Is Uncertain After MORTAL KOMBAT II Box Office Struggles
It may be a while before we hear someone yell “Finish Him!” on the big screen again. Mortal Kombat III was already being written before the second movie arrived in theaters, but director Simon McQuoid now says the planned sequel is still in limbo following the disappointing box office performance of Mortal Kombat II.
When asked about the status of a third Mortal Kombat movie, McQuoid offered an update that isn’t exactly going to fill fans with confidence.
He said, "I think it’s still going through its life cycle. So I don’t know yet. I’m not sure."
That’s a pretty big change from where things appeared to be heading in 2025. At New York Comic Con, screenwriter Jeremy Slater revealed that he had started writing Mortal Kombat III, suggesting Warner Bros. was already preparing to keep the franchise fighting.
Then Mortal Kombat II actually hit theaters. The sequel brought Karl Urban into the madness as Johnny Cage, who joins the other fighters for their massive showdown against Shao Kahn.
It was a movie fans had been waiting for, at least that’s what the studio thought, especially after the 2021 film didn’t actually include the Mortal Kombat tournament.
Mortal Kombat II received mixed reviews, landing a 64% Rotten Tomatoes score. That was an improvement over the first movie’s 55%, and the sequel was generally viewed as a better attempt at translating the bloody fighting game franchise to the screen. But, it still didn’t quite work.
It was a bizarre film, and the tone was kind of all over the place. Being a slightly better movie didn’t translate into a knockout at the box office.
Mortal Kombat II earned $129 million worldwide against a reported $80 million budget. Once marketing and other expenses are added to the equation, those numbers make it difficult to consider the sequel a financial success.
That puts Mortal Kombat III in an uncomfortable position. Studios generally aren’t eager to rush into another expensive installment when the previous movie struggled to justify its price tag, even if the creative team has already started laying the groundwork.
The ending of Mortal Kombat II leaves the door open for additional battles, and Slater previously confirmed that Ludi Lin would return as Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat III. Despite Liu Kang seemingly dying, the writer explained that the character’s mysterious resurrection was something the third movie intended to address.
So, creatively speaking, there’s more story ready to go. The bigger question is whether the studio thinks another Mortal Kombat movie makes financial sense. Hell, does the audience even want a third movie? After seeing the first two as duds, I don’t imagine the third would be any better.
McQuoid also appears ready to spend some time outside the realm of fatalities, Outworld warriors, and supernatural martial arts. The filmmaker revealed that he has several other projects in development, including one that has already reached the casting stage.
He explained, "I feel like there are other stories that I want to tell that aren’t necessarily in Mortal Kombat and I have multiple things in development, one of which we're just casting now and that’s not Mortal Kombat at all, something that is in the real world and very much a deep dive into a singular character and character study."
None of this officially kills Mortal Kombat III. The script work, sequel setup, and plans for Liu Kang give Warner Bros. plenty to return to if the studio decides another round is worth pursuing. But it’s clear that the third movie isn’t charging toward production anytime soon.
For now, the Mortal Kombat movie franchise appears to be waiting for someone at the studio to decide whether it gets another round or finally hears those two dreaded words: “Finish Him.”
Source: The Wrap