We’ve been spending the past couple weeks, as most have around the internet, looking back at the year that was 2021, as always with a particular focus on the Best of 2021. It was a year where hybrid release models dominated the movie landscape, with Warner Bros. in particular using the HBO Max streaming service to make sure we always had something to watch.
All the big theatrical releases from WB last year went to HBO Max on the same day they hit theaters, and that included a handful of horror movies such as The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, and James Wan’s Malignant. But which of those movies had the strongest performance on HBO Max last year, you may be wondering?
Out of all the big theatrical movies released to HBO Max last year, Business Insider reports, it was the live action Mortal Kombat reboot that had the best debut weekend numbers!
Produced by James Wan, Mortal Kombat pulled in $83.6 million worldwide at the box office beginning on April 23, 2021, right around the time that pandemic vaccines were finally being offered up for the first time. The gory video game adaptation was also watched by 3.8 million households during that weekend, a number no other movie was able to pass on HBO Max.
For the sake of comparison, Business Insider notes that Godzilla vs. Kong was watched in 3.6 million households during its debut weekend, while The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was watched in 1.6 million households and James Wan’s Malignant was watched in 933,000 households. You can read the full 16-movie breakdown over on Business Insider.
Not surprisingly, Warner Bros. is currently looking to expand the Mortal Kombat universe, with “other installments” being considered. A sequel *could* center on the tournament itself.
Stay tuned for more as we learn it.
‘Mortal Kombat’