The simultaneous theatrical & streaming premiere of Mortal Kombat has paid dividends for the HBO Max platform. Third-party metrics called it the most watched programming of the service's first year, and according to a WarnerMedia Executive the film was a stand-out for exceeding expectations. Read on for more detail:

IGN has conducted an interviewed with WarnerMedia Executive Vice President of Growth and Revenue Brad Wilson. He had a lot of corporate-speak to say amidst the uncertainty of a WarnerMedia & Discovery merger, but singled out Mortal Kombat for exceeding expectations for bringing in subscribers who've crossed over into the deeper content library.

Wilson: Mortal Kombat was an interesting title for us, because I will say that while we expected it to do well, we did not expect it to do as well as it did. It's been one of our top assets on the platform. And those customers are now crossing over into watching all the other great titles that we typically see, but also some of the great library content that we have with Friends, The Big Bang Theory, The Sopranos, etc.

Wilson also acknowledges that data collected from viewers informs future programming decisions, and although Mortal Kombat didn't please every diehard fan, its metrics have proven incredibly positive. He also notes the success of movies has challenged conventional wisdom, eschewing the expectation that "movies bring them in and series keep them" with a chain of theatrical releases producing the same result.

There's no official indications of a Mortal Kombat sequel yet, but director Simon McQuoid was quick to discuss ideas, and various actors have begun chasing the baked-in role of Johnny Cage. Rumors are also swirling of a likely animated sequel to Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge.

IGN: When you're looking at how well something like Mortal Kombat performs, how does that impact conversations you might have with the content licensing and acquisitions teams? When you're looking at these kinds of figures, how does that impact how you're thinking about future IP and actively developing more of that specifically for Max?

Wilson: We believe that we're here to share and tell stories and create meaningful, enduring connections. That is a lens by which we start. Do we use that data to inform future programming decisions? The answer is yes. We partner very frequently with Meredith Gertler (manager of content strategy and planning at HBO Max) and her team to talk through what that looks like from all the lanes — kids and family to young adult to scripted and unscripted. These are early days. We're all sort of figuring out the art and science that we lead against. But we're also trying not to deviate from a formula that we know it's been really successful with all original programming in the past.

Live-action series Mortal Kombat: Conquest was added to the streaming service in April along with the other MK films. What have you been watching? Share your HBO Max favourites in the comments below and tell us what you'd like to see next in the Media & Merchandise forum!

A new era is about to begin with the announcement of the Evo Community Series -- an online tournament schedule that's building up to the return of the rebooted 2021 Evo Online Championship! The celebration begins this month with free registration for community events including Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate now open!

The action begins June 10th with the Evo Community Series opening the battlelines up to PlayStation 4 players in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Registration is free but requires all players be 18 and over with an active PS Plus membership for online play.

Running 12 days in total: FGC Arcade: Evo Edition will begin with open qualifiers that lead to short "swiss round" non-elimination rounds that will advance the winner to a professional opponent and a chance to share in a $20,000 prize pool! Mortal Kombat 11 is scheduled to feature on Friday, June 11th & Friday, June 18th.

The Evo 2021 Online Warm-Up tournaments run from June 26th - July 13th and offers players a taste of things to come with a prize pool of $19,000 to go to winners, as well as other PlayStation perks such as themes & avatars. MK11 is scheduled for Tuesday July 8th, Wednesday July 9th, and Saturday, July 12th. All leading up to the big dance August 6th & 13th!

Sony acquired the world's largest fighting game tournament brand earlier this year in March, organizing the online championship event to rebound from last year's cancelled schedule.

Will you be attempting to take on the world? Share your thoughts and goals with us in the comments below and talk tactics & more in the Mortal Kombat 11 and Gameplay & Matchmaking forums! Hone your skills further by following MK Online Fight Klub for more match data and 24 hour streaming kombat!

Iron Studios is taking inspiration from klassic arcade games like Mortal Kombat II to create a new series of iconic collectible statues. The MK Klassic line features several legendary fighters from the first games including the biggest and baddest boss of them all - Shao Kahn! Take a closer look:

For his Mortal Kombat Battle Diorama statue the sculptor has taken inspiration directly from Shao Kahn's original appearance in the background of Kahn's Arena. The Emperor sits in a flared throne of stone, staring coldly out from beneath a skull-shaped helmet with one hand resting on a throne skull, and the other gripping a long sceptre with red gem.

Although seated, Shao Kahn is consistent with the 1:10 scale of the MK Klassic Battle Diorama series. The design peaks at 9.8" high thanks to his staff, 7.8" wide & deep. The throne makes this one a bit heavier than others: 5lbs of hand-painted polystone for a slightly higher than usual $199.99 price.

Shao Kahn is available to pre-order and set to ship sometime this quarter. Other statues in the series include: Goro, Raiden, and Scorpion. Will you be adding the Outworld Emperor to your personal Warrior Shrine?

Tell us what you think of this one in the comments below and check out more gear in the Media & Merchandise forum! While you're there you'll also be able to vote for Shao Kahn and others in this year's Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion character tournament!

The world of Netherealm Studios' DC Comics fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us is set to receive an animated feature film adaptation. The alternate reality story will be the next release from Warner Bros Animation, revealed inadvertently in details for their upcoming project.

IGN reported the news, which came via Warner Bros' announcement of details for the upcoming release of Batman: The Long Halloween, Part 2. The home movie animated sequel to the adaptation of Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale's 1997 comic book masterpiece will include a trailer for the Injustice: Gods Among Us movie.

There are no further plot details about the Injustice movie available at this time. The game spawned a 2017 video game sequel and continued to expand upon its backstory in a series of popular comic book tie-ins. Injustice features a world where Superman is driven to establish a dictatorial regime after his wife Lois Lane, carrying their unborn child, is murdered by The Joker. He's opposed by a faction of rebel heroes led by Batman.

[Related Article: Injustice: Gods Among Us Death of Metropolis Story Trailer]

The Injustice movie is speculated to be coming before the end of 2021, and will follow in the footsteps of last year's NetherRealm animated feature Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge. A sequel is expected. You can watch the red band trailer and discuss more MK in the Media & Merchandise forum.

NetherRealm Studios returned to business at the start of the year to work on "the next show", and rumors of another DC Comics project have been widely speculated about, even as the developer's status becomes less certain.

Are you looking forward to more DC heroes breaking bad? Tell us what you hope to see from the animated feature in the comments below and dive deeper into that world in the DC Universe Injustice forum.

Fans will be able to add the new Mortal Kombat movie to their home video collection when it gets a physical release this July. The film is streaming on HBO Max until May 23rd, but will be available to own on Blu-Ray and 4K disc in a couple of months. Take a closer look:

Best Buy have listings for multiple versions of the release, including an Exclusive 4K Steel Book edition available to pre-order for $36.99. The set comes with 4K Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and digital copy of the movie. You can also find the blu-ray & digital release for $21.99 , and standard 4K for $30.99 coming July 13th. Take a look at box art below:

The collectible steel book case includes a foldout cover featuring Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), and Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) & Kung Lao (Max Huang) pictured above via Blu-ray.com. The standard cover features a variation of previously released Scorpion/Sub-Zero banner advertising. Additional special features haven't been announced, but may include previously released featurettes spotlighting the cast and martial arts.

[Related Article: Review: Mortal Kombat Hacks Into Franchise Reboot]

Will you be picking up the film in two months? Tell us all about it in the comments below and find more stories in the Media & Merchandise forum! Special thanks to MK Online users trynax and gorostilllives for sharing part of this story! Save the date by downloading the MKO App via App Store or Google Play and subscribe to the calendar event!