The big-screen return of Street Fighter is already showing signs of fatigue. After a promising debut, the video game adaptation has seen its theatrical footprint shrink significantly, with Paramount pulling it from 750 screens in its third weekend. The movie, which stars Noah Centineo and Andrew Koji, is struggling to maintain momentum as it faces an uphill battle to recoup its reported $82 million budget.
In its second weekend, the film took a nosedive, plummeting by more than 70% at the domestic box office. That steep decline has continued into week three, with the theater count dropping from 3,575 to 2,825. As of now, the movie has grossed roughly $50 million domestically, a figure that falls short of its production costs, let alone marketing expenses. The worldwide numbers aren't much brighter, leaving the film far from breaking even.
A Tough Crowd for Video Game Adaptations
Street Fighter isn't the only recent video game adaptation to face challenges. Earlier this year, Mortal Kombat II also debuted in theaters, and while it performed better, it still didn't reach the stratospheric heights of the Super Mario franchise, whose latest installment, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, crossed the billion-dollar mark. The bar for success in this genre is high, and Street Fighter is struggling to clear even the lower hurdles.
The film's cast includes Noah Centineo, known for his breakout role in Netflix's To All the Boys trilogy, but his previous foray into franchise territory, Black Adam, was a critical and commercial disappointment. Andrew Koji, who played Storm Shadow in the Snake Eyes origin story, also has a track record of underperforming at the box office, with that film grossing less than half of its $80 million budget.
Critical Reception and Fan Response
Critics have not been kind to Street Fighter. The film holds a 41% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus noting that while it shows affection for the source material and offers some stylish visuals, its incoherent storytelling and juvenile humor mark a step backward for video game adaptations. Fans have echoed similar sentiments, leading to a lack of word-of-mouth momentum.
Despite the setbacks, the movie is still playing in theaters, and for those curious about this latest attempt to bring the iconic fighting game to life, it's worth a look—if only to see how it compares to the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme version or the 2009 spin-off Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. For more on the film's performance and other box office news, stay tuned to Collider.
If you're in the mood for other action-packed viewing, you might want to check out Keanu Reeves' latest streaming hit or Alan Ritchson's take on Reacher. And for those who prefer their action in the gaming world, our top space video games list might be right up your alley.
