Flawless Victory!: Mortal Kombat Posts HBO MAX's Highest Opening Numbers of Its Day and Date Releases

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Image courtesy WB/HBO MAX

While the cinematic world was in turmoil over the global pandemic, Warner Bros. partnered with HBO MAX to adapt their system to put new releases in home and theaters on the same day. Although it caused some drama with major theatrical chains, the effort proved to work for HBO and WB. Each of their films did huge release numbers when released day and date to streaming on their exclusive outlet. Strangely enough, Mortal Kombat ended up being the champion when pitted against other tent pole films Godzilla vs Kong, The Suicide Squad, The Matrix Resurrections, and Dune in 2021. 

According to Business Insider, the reboot of Mortal Kombat ended up with over 3.8 million viewers for its opening frame on HBO Max. All their data was compiled by SambaTV and is recorded for smart tv systems such as gaming consoles, Roku, and other internet connected devices. 

Godzilla vs Kong scored the number two spot with 3.6 million viewers. James Gunn's The Suicide Squad took the number three slot with 2.8 million households. The Matrix Resurrections was in number four with 2.6 million viewers. The lowest opening weekend that was posted was Judas and the Black Messiah which only scored 653k households. They did not provide data for the Hugh Jackman science fiction flick Reminiscence, which may have taken the actual lowest spot due to lack of interest. 

We continue to hold out hope that theaters continue their resurgence in 2022 and we can see the major film production companies move away from the day and date streaming format as its definitely taken a hard toll on box office receipts. 

-CG