Street Fighter eyes $25M to $35M debut in U.S. theatres

Paramount’s live-action Street Fighter opens in theatres Friday with forecasts of $25 million to $35 million US in the U.S. and Canada over the weekend of Oct. 16 to 18, according to Boxoffice Pro’s Oct. 14 preview.

That range would put the video game adaptation roughly level with Masters of the Universe, which opened to $29.4 million, and ahead of the $23 million debut of the 2021 Mortal Kombat, the trade site said. It would fall short of the $38 million opening of this year’s Mortal Kombat II.

Box office analyst Todd Thatcher is more cautious. His Oct. 13 prediction has Street Fighter opening first with $24.5 million, a “mid 20s start.” SlashFilm, citing Box Office Theory, put the debut at $25 million to $35 million in an Oct. 9 preview and called it a “so-so start” for a film of its apparent scale. Paramount has not released a production budget.

The film is directed by Kitao Sakurai, known for Bad Trip, and is produced by Legendary Pictures and Capcom, with Paramount distributing under Legendary’s new three-year global deal. Andrew Koji plays Ryu, Noah Centineo is Ken Masters, and Callina Liang is Chun-Li. The cast also includes Jason Momoa, David Dastmalchian, 50 Cent and wrestlers Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes.

Boxoffice Pro said marketing has been muted, so the film must lean on millennial nostalgia. It also said the trailers suggest a goofier, kid-friendly PG-13 film, unlike the grittier Mortal Kombat movies. The 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme version made nearly $100 million US worldwide, while the 2009 spinoff Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li earned $12.76 million, the site said. No reviews were available when SlashFilm published its preview.

Street Fighter faces competition from several new releases. Boxoffice Pro tracks Whalefall, a 20th Century Studios thriller starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin, at $10 million to $15 million, and Focus Features’ Sense and Sensibility at $8 million to $12 million. Thatcher is lower on both, at $8.2 million and $5.3 million, and gives the horror release You Can See Everything $8.9 million.

Holdovers could also take a share of the top spots. Universal’s Other Mommy, starring Jessica Chastain, opened to $27.8 million last weekend, according to the figures cited by both forecasters, despite a rare D+ CinemaScore. Thatcher predicts a drop to about $9.1 million, while Boxoffice Pro’s range is $10 million to $15 million. Canada News Media reported on the film’s opening on Oct. 11, when the figure was still an estimate.

For Canadian moviegoers, the “domestic” totals used in these forecasts combine U.S. and Canadian ticket sales and are quoted in U.S. dollars. Theatre chains are coming off a strong stretch: Cineplex posted a record $215.7 million in third-quarter box office. Whether Street Fighter extends that run will depend on opening-night turnout and audience reaction, which Boxoffice Pro said will be decisive for the films that follow it.

Studio estimates for the weekend are due Sunday, with final figures on Monday. Forecasts often miss by a wide margin, and the totals above are projections, not results.

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Via Boxoffice Pro, SlashFilm and toddmthatcher.com.