'Mortal Kombat 2' Movie Delayed: Updated Release Date & Possible Reasons for Decision

As summer winds down, the intrigue surrounding upcoming movie releases this fall continues to grow by the week. On the surface, this makes the decision by Warner Bros. to push back the release date of the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat II film by nearly seven months seem surprising. Originally slated to hit theaters on Oct. 24, the decision was made to move Mortal Kombat II’s release to May 15, 2026, as The Hollywood Reporter detailed.

Now comes the million-dollar question: Why was that decision made? Especially considering the hype and excitement surrounding the film, which immediately became apparent after the red-band trailer garnered an incredible 107 million views in 24 hours globally.

However, anticipation and an eye-opening number of views for the trailer weren’t enough to avoid the change.

‘Mortal Kombat II’ Delaying Release Date Could Be Due to Timing & Warner Bros.’ 2025 Success Brec Bassinger attends the world premiere of Warner Bros' ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The movie opened to a franchise record box office number and became the highest-grossing film in the series.

Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

While there’s no clear-cut answer as to why Warner Bros. opted to push back Mortal Kombat II’s release date, there are a few very obvious reasons that could have been factors. Several noteworthy movies are set to hit theaters during the latter part of 2025, which, paired with a release one week before Halloween, may have influenced the decision.

However, one very strong possibility for the move is related to Warner Bros.’ tremendous success in and around the May timeframe this year. As Deadline detailed, the company’s release of Final Destination: Bloodlines opened to a franchise record of $51.6 million. The movie was released on May 16 and became the highest-grossing film in the franchise, while also receiving the best reviews among the six-movie series, which first debuted in 2000.

If Warner Bros. were attempting to weigh the risk vs. reward of remaining in the late-October release slot or pushing Mortal Kombat II to mid-May, the success of Final Destination: Bloodlines likely made it an easy decision.

'Mortal Kombat II’ Setting Release Date in May 2026, Avoids Several Noteworthy Upcoming Movies

Although Warner Bros. likely didn’t need to dodge any competition after seeing how well the trailer for Mortal Kombat II performed, they still managed to do so for the most part.

Interesting early-2026 movie releases like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, The Rip (Matt Damon, Ben Affleck), Send Help (Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien) and the Stephen Curry-produced GOAT are all hitting theaters in either January or February.

Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary is slated for a March release date, while the new Street Fighter movie and Ready or Not 2: Here I Come are currently set to hit theaters in April. The biggest competition at the box office for Mortal Kombat II is bound to come one week after its May 15, 2026, release, when The Mandalorian and Grogu premieres on May 22.

The popular video game adaptation is also more than a full month clear of DC Studios and James Gunn’s big-screen follow-up to Superman, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which hit theaters on June 26, 2026. Mortal Kombat II’s new release date is also well and clear of the likes of The Odyssey (July 17), Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31), The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (Nov. 20), Jumanji 3 (Dec. 11) and Avengers: Doomsday (Dec. 18), among others.

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