Chun-Li in Street Fighter (2026) (Credits: IGN)
Capcom’s Street Fighter movie has punched its way to the top of the global box office with a $51.1 million opening weekend — even though critics have been far from kind to director Kitao Sakurai’s take on the classic fighting game franchise.
The film’s massive cast grappled with an estimated $31 million domestically and $20.1 million internationally in its theatrical debut. That landed it a comfortable first place worldwide, even if the victory comes with a few asterisks.
Critics Aren’t Sold, But Audiences Are Having “Dumb Fun”
As audiences turned up for performances — including Callina Liang’s Chun-Li, David Dastmalchian’s M. Bison, and Jason Momoa’s Blanka — the critical reception landed with a thud. In its first few days, Street Fighter has amassed a critics’ score of 44 on IMDb and just 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, while IGN handed it a 6/10.
That’s serviceable as far as gaming adaptations go, but sub-par in the grand scheme. Still, fans are feeling pretty positive thanks to some crisp animation and fight sequences. “Dumb fun” is one phrase floating around the film, which has pulled in a solid 79% audience positivity on Rotten Tomatoes — a very different story from the critics’ verdict.
Mortal Kombat Comparisons and a Possible Crossover
For comparison, the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie earned $22.5 million domestically in its post-lockdown-era debut, while Mortal Kombat 2 opened to $63 million globally earlier this year, finishing second behind The Devil Wears Prada 2. That gives Mortal Kombat the edge over its Capcom rival in direct box office terms — as the teams behind both projects continue to tease ideas for a crossover.
The real test for Street Fighter will be its performance in the weeks ahead. Paramount, Legendary, and Capcom made the adaptation with a production budget of $82 million, according to Deadline, and the film has not quite reached that number yet. If word of those bad reviews spreads too far, the video game movie’s fight for a sequel might be more of an uphill battle than expected.
Source: IGN — read the full story there.
