The best video game movies have arrived in theaters over the past few years, chief among them being Simon McQuoid’s pair of Mortal Kombat movies. Following the success of the 2021 first film (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription), the squel was released a few months ago. That movie’s ending definitely set up another potential sequel, and the filmmaker recently spoke to whether or not we should expect a threequel to arrive down the line.
Mortal Kombat II hit theaters in May, and has performed pretty well both critically and financially. Fans of the video game franchise have been hoping for a third movie to be green lit, but so far there’s been no news from Warner Bros.. Director Simon McQuoid recently was asked by JoBlo about MK III, and he responded by saying:
I think the lifecycle of this film needs to totally play out before anything could be stated officially. So I would say, wait and see.
There you have it. McQuoid didn’t shut down the idea of a third Mortal Kombat movie, but it’s also too early to confirm that another video game movie is coming down the line. The sequel’s writer Jeremy Slater admitted he’s got ideas for four more MK movies, but only time will tell if the burgeoning franchise will continue growing. I’m personally going to keep my fingers crossed.
Mortal Kombat II’s 4k UHD release is coming at the end of the month, so fans will be able to re-watch every frame of the sequel, including McQuoid’s favorite fights. And while the sequel felt ripped right out of the games, the studio will have to decide if it wants to move forward to green light another blockbuster.
As previously mentioned, Mortal Kombat II planted a bunch of narrative seeds that can come to bloom in a potential threequel. A number of beloved characters died throughout its 116-minute runtime, including Liu Kang, Jax, and Cole Young. In the final moments our surviving heroes vowed to bring revive them, which seemed like a clear set-up for a threequel.
In addition to that storyline, there are still tons of beloved video game characters that fans would like to see adapted for the big screen. Plus, folks are ready to see Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage’s love story play out in another installment since it didn’t happen in MK II. There’s definitely fan interest, but whether or not Warner Bros. wants to shell out the budget for a third blockbuster remains to be seen.
Mortal Kombat II is available for digital rental or purchase now as part of the 2026 movie release list. Fans of physical media will be able to purchase it on 4K UHD on July 28th.
