After an epic reveal, the New Line Cinema and WB Bros. Pictures have hit fans with a stage Fatality by delaying the Mortal Kombat II movie. This shift has flipped so many happy faces to angry comments, widening the gap between the 2 rebooted MK movies by 5 years now. By the Elder Gods, this is unforgivable, but there’s actually a good reason behind this, even if we don’t like it.
While the Mortal Kombat 2021 movie was a warm-up round for the new rebooted series, the Mortal Kombat II trailer showcased one of the best live-action versions of this universe. The trailer is currently holding the record of the highest viewed R-rated movie trailer of all time, and that probably has something to do with why the new movie is pushed all the way to 2026.
According to the official Mortal Kombat II Movie post on X, the release date for this fan favorite live-action is now delayed to May 15, 2026. The movie was initially announced to be in theatres on October 23, 2025, and this shift of events has made fans ready to hit their Fatal Blows.
“You guys delayed it by a whole 7 months??? After an amazing first trailer? Why would you deflate all the excitement like that?” Indeed, it does kill the excitement. Something that they can easily buy back with another sick trailer a month or two prior to release. Comments like these show how people have loved the Mortal Kombat II movie trailer, but let me tell you why this delay has nothing to do with Jade and how Baraka’s extra teeth look.
Why Is The Mortal Kombat II Movie Delayed By 7 Months?
Answering this question is none other than the movie’s producer himself, Todd Garner:
May is the blockbuster season. It’s completely possible that even the producer was surprised by the superb reception of the MKII trailer and test screens. So in that sense, they’re pushing the Mortal Kombat II movie to May 15, 2026, so that it can make as much money as possible.
Garner states that “Mortal Kombat is a summer franchise,” which is absolutely right. MK games release around this time of the year, and the MK 2021 movie hit the HBO Max stream in June. But more important than that, we are waiting 5 years for a sequel to that movie, something that Todd Garner has directly addressed with a positive comment: “Hopefully after this one we never have that big of gap again between movies.”
Now, does it kill the mood? Yes. Fans are already not happy with this update, neither am I, but this hype can be brought back with small news, trailers, and maybe a minute or two snippets of the movie released during the time of waiting. May the Elder Gods forgive them.
