Mortal Kombat II delivered a powerful debut at the North American box office on Friday, taking the top spot ahead of The Devil Wears Prada 2 in what is shaping up to be a close race for the weekend’s No. 1 position.

The Warner Bros. release earned $17 million on Friday from 3,503 theaters across North America. Initial projections estimated a $35 million domestic opening weekend, but updated estimates now suggest the video game adaptation sequel could finish closer to $41 million through Sunday.

Produced by New Line Cinema with an $80 million budget, the film marks a significant step up from the 2021 original, which opened to $23 million during the pandemic-era same-day streaming release strategy on HBO Max.

Industry analysts say the sequel could quickly surpass the first film’s $84 million worldwide total, helped by growing popularity for video game adaptations and the addition of Karl Urban as fan-favorite character Johnny Cage.

Directed once again by Simon McQuoid and written by Jeremy Slater, the film follows Earth’s champions as they battle the dark emperor Shao Kahn. The cast also includes Hiroyuki Sanada, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, and Tadanobu Asano.

Meanwhile, The Devil Wears Prada 2 remained close behind with $9.8 million on Friday in its second weekend. The sequel is projected to add roughly $41 million through Sunday, with some estimates climbing as high as $50 million because of Mother’s Day crowds.

Elsewhere at the box office, Michael continued a strong run, earning $8.8 million on Friday and pushing toward nearly $239 million domestically.

New releases also included The Sheep Detectives and Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), which opened to solid audiences over the weekend.

Source: Variety