The world of fashion gave video game adaptation Mortal Kombat II a run for its money at the Mother’s Day box office, with The Devil Wears Prada 2 winning the weekend with an impressive sophomore haul of $43 million in North America and $75.8 million overseas for a worldwide cume of $433.2 million. That means the 20th Century title has already passed up the entire lifetime run of the first film — or $326 million — in only its second outing, not adjusted for inflation.
The Prada sequel fell just 43 percent domestically and 46 percent overseas in a major win for the 20th Century brand under Disney’s ownership. To boot, Disney is also celebrating becoming the first Hollywood studio to cross $2 billion in 2026 global ticket sales.
That’s not to say that Mortal Kombat II is a total loser. Heading into the weekend, New Line and parent company Warner Bros. had always predicted a domestic launch in the $35 million to $40 million range for a worldwide bow anywhere between $65 million and $80 million. Tracking services, however, showed the R-rated pic coming in ahead of Prada 2 with $45 million or more.
On Saturday, both films were projected to earn $40 million to $41 million based on Friday traffic, making the domestic race to close to call. By Sunday morning, the martial arts pic ceded the race to Prada 2 when reporting a second-place finish with an estimated $40 million debut. Globally, Mortal Kombat launched on the lower end of expectations with $63 million after starting off with $23 million at the foreign box office.
In 2021, the first Mortal Kombat debuted simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max due to the ongoing pandemic. The violence-laced martial arts pic was a huge streaming hit; theatrically, it debuted at $23 million on its way to topping out at $42 million domestically and $84.4 million globally. Simon McQuoid returned to helm Mortal Kombat II from a script by Jeremy Slater, and Karl Urban joined the franchise as fan-favorite character Johnny Cage, a washed-up ’90s action star called to take part in a tournament that will determine the fate of Earthrealm.
The victor of the weekend box office was always expected to be determined by Mother’s Day traffic. That automatically gave Prada 2 an advantage, since it’s fast on its way to becoming the biggest female-driven film since Warner Bros.’ Barbie in 2023 after kicking off the summer box office last weekend in high style. As expected, Mortal Kombat II skewed heavily male (73 percent).
And don’t forget about Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic, which earned a fantastic $36.5 million in its third weekend for a domestidc tally of $240.5 million and $577.4 million globally through Sunday. On Friday, it overtook the $216.7 million earned by Bohemian Rhapsody to become the top-grossing music biopic of all time in North America, not adjusted for inflation.
Amazon MGM’s new family-friendly film The Sheep Detectives opened in fourth place domestically with a better-than-expected $15.9 million, earning an A CinemaScore (it’s also a hit with critics). The comedy-mystery follows a flock of talking sheep who are determined to solve the suspicious death of their beloved shepherd, played by Hugh Jackman, who read them detective novels on a regular basis despite having no idea they could understand him. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, directors of the 2026 box office hit Project Hail Mary, are among the film’s executive producers.
Paramount’s new concert film Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), which James Cameron and the artist co-directed, rounded out the top five domestically with $7.5 million. Overseas, it has earned $12.6 million for a global haul of $20.1 million. Cameron pioneered special 3D cameras designed to make moviegoers feel as if they were part of a live experience that he used when filming Eilish.
And thanks to the appeal of the crowded Mother’s Day marquee, domestic box office revenue is expected to be up more than 87 percent over the same frame last year.
May 10, 8:37 a.m. This story has been updated with latest numbers.
The story was originally published on May 9 at 8:46 a.m.
Credit: Source link