“The Devil Wears Prada 2” Blocks “Mortal Kombat 2” From Top Box Office Debut!

As expected by some box office analysts, Mortal Kombat 2 failed to snag a No 1 domestic debut after being blocked by The Devil Wears Prada 2.

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat 2. Beware!

Directed by Simon McQuoid and written by Jeremy Slater, Mortal Kombat 2 was able to collect an approximate $40 million during the current weekend to secure the second spot on the Top 10 list. And while that is a good showing for the R-Rated action flick, it’s accompanied by a sting of disappointment because The Devil Wears Prada 2 (in its second week of playing) prevented MK 2 from debuting atop the list by collecting an estimated $43 million.

With a reported production budget of around $80 million, a $40 million domestic debut isn’t bad. However, another obstacle for the film is the international gross. As of writing this post, the international haul sits at a mere $23 million. And, no matter how you cut it, that’s not great, especially because similar action flicks have been seen to perform a lot better globally.

It appears that international audiences just can’t get enough of The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael, with both films having amassed $433 million and $577 million globally, respectively.

As someone who has watched Mortal Kombat 2, I will continue to say that it should have stuck to the previous October 24, 2025, release date. The studio’s decision to delay the debut after seeing the initial hype during the promotional campaign made no sense to me. If a movie’s garnering a lot of hype, you don’t make the fans wait even longer for what they are excited about!

Coming to the movie itself, even though it’s not the most well-written action flick, I will say that it was still fun to watch. I appreciated the emotional moments that popped up in the narrative, especially in Kitana and Liu Kang’s journeys. Karl Urban was okay for this particular version of Johnny Cage. There were also a bunch of cool fights.

However, having said that, certain characters were done dirty, namely Cole Young. I understand the MK fandom disliking the first Mortal Kombat (2021) movie feeling the need to create an original character as the lead. But what’s done is done. I think the creative team should have figured out a more authentic way to make the audience root for Cole Young during the sequel instead of quickly taking him off the board.

Death doesn’t mean much in the MK world. Paired up with certain fans voicing their opinions against the “unfair” treatment of Cole Young, we might see him return to a much warmer welcome once the third Mortal Kombat movie rolls out.

As for another new release, we have the mystery/comedy The Sheep Detectives. Starring an impressive voice cast, it is about sheep and other farm animals working together to uncover the truth behind the murder of their owner, George, played by Hugh Jackman.

I might catch it soon. I don’t know yet.

May 8, 2026 – May 10, 2026 Weekend Box Office

1. The Devil Wears Prada 2 – $43 million
2. Mortal Kombat 2 – $40 million
3. Michael – $36 million
4. The Sheep Detectives – $15.9 million
5. Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft – The Tour Live in 3D – $7.5 million
6. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – $6.6 million
7. Project Hail Mary – $6 million
8. Hokum – $3.3 million
9. Deep Water – $0.7 million
10. Animal Farm – $0.6 million

Did you watch Mortal Kombat 2? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

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(via Box Office Mojo)

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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