Last week Mortal Kombat announced itself as a violent force to be reckoned with in the first red band trailer. The decidedly R rated preview quickly became a global trending phenomenon and has reportedly gone on to break viewing records, as well! Read on for details:
Warner Bros Prictures announced the accolade with a compilation video showing some of the fan reactions recorded to YouTube and social media. The highlights punctuate the trailer's most violent moments with over-the-top animated reactions recorded in multiple languages.
The exact metric for the record is somewhat unclear, with Deadline reporting a nebulous figure of 116 million views in the first week. Warner Brothers supplied the trailer to various hosting outlets, including Mortal Kombat Online.
The record challenges other R rated franchise rivals who've found broad, mainstream support in recent years. Fellow New Line Cinema release IT currently has 61.7 million views for the official 2017 teaser, and HBO Max re-release Zack Snyder's Justice League has earned 19.5 million from its first week.
20th Century Fox has yielded 48.6 million views for its adaptation of Marvel Comics "Merc with a Mouth" in Deadpool 2, with 32.7 million for 20 6 Wolverine swansong Logan. Although all R rated films on release, the trailers were not necessarily red band and would not clash with the qualified record.
Mortal Kombat arrives in limited theatrical and HBO Max streaming release on April 16th. Download the MKO App via App Store and Google Play to subscribe to the release day event and receive notifications to your device! Share your reactions to the latest news with die hard fans in the Media & Merchandise forum!
The weird world of Funko's super-deformed collectible vinyl dolls is about to expand with a limited release unmasked Mileena! The newest Mortal Kombat Pop! will be a store exclusive. Read on for details:
Inspired by her appearance in Mortal Kombat X, the toothy unmasked Mileena is available only at Gamestop. You can pre-order now for $11.99 ahead of an expected March 12th release.
Arcade1Up have established a name as a leader in the retro home arcade business -- and they've just announced an expansion to their recent catalogue that's packing a whole lot of Midway arcade treasures into a single klassic cabinet! Read on for details:
The machine also packs in other legendary Midway arcade titles from the 80s and 90s: Joust, Defender, Rampage, Gauntlet, Paperboy, Rootbeer Tapper, Bubbles, Toobin, and Wizard of Wor. Each game is easily switched to via navigation options built into the machine using a 17" LCD monitor under the light-up Mortal Kombat II marquee!
Specifications
Custom shaped "Cabinet" design
12 Games in 1
17" Color LCD screen
Custom Riser
Light-Up Marquee
Printed Coin Door Graphic Kickplate
Assembled Dimensions: 22.75” D x 19” W x 57.8” H (45.8” H without riser)
Box dimensions (D x W x H) (6.75” x 47.75” x 23.75”)
Weight: 79.5lbs
Real-Feel Arcade Controls
Coinless operation
Adjustable Variable Volume
Clear Deck Protector
Anti-Tip Over Strap
On-Screen Game Selection Menu
In Game Settings Menu
Plugs into an AC outlet
Easy Assembly
By Tastemakers, LLC
Fully Licensed
Arcade1Up haven't published a recommended retail price or reelease date for the Midway Legacy Edition, but a similar Capcom 12-in-1 cabinet is coming March for $399.99. This is only an example.
Does this bring back nostalgic memories or will it be your first time? Tell us if you're adding this to your collection in the comments below and go deeper into retro by checking out the 2D Kombat Klassics forum. No quarters required!
The Mortal Kombat red band trailer kicked the doors open on the much anticipated featured film and got the world talking. Now it's director Simon McQuoid's turn as he offers insights behind the decision making process in a breakdown of the trailer. Watch and learn here:
The commentary track comes via IGN, who hit pause on scenes so the Australian director can reveal more of what the thought process was beyond devising and creating various aspects of the film.
The director stresses that characters are introduced in very specific ways, citing the trailer's introduction of Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) with a close-up of the icy warrior's pale stare as one of the important scenes. Set during a Special Forces operation in Brazil, it's intended to show the villainous Bi-Han as sudden and scary.
The scene leads to Jax (Mehcad Brooks) losing his arms to a shattering frost necessitating robotic limbs. MK3 introduced the character's trademark cybernetic arms as voluntary "implants" received to prepare for future Outworld attacks. McQuoid expresses awarness of Ermac removing his arms in 2011's reboot timeline, and other multimedia adaptations, feeling it gave them license to invent a new version, despite a desire for fidelity to canon.
In addressing controversial new creation Cole Young (Lewis Tan), McQuoid again looks to perceived inconsistency in the games for affording license. This time, the addition of new characters in video game series sequels was seen as affording license for the creation of a new protagonist in the cinematic adaptation. Cole is intended to serve the conventional role of a point-of-view entry character who will learn about the world as the audience does.
The influence of past multimedia adaptations on the new film is apparent in both content and reference. McQuoid notes the film uses the "classic set" of characters, with the addition of Kung Lao (Max Huang), referring to the cast of the 1995 feature film directed by Paul WS Anderson.
He describes the balance of comedy and violence in the Mortal Kombat series, as well as its attention to world building, noting the challenges and importance of balancing the elements. The film will seek to have an "authentic, brutal, real quality" so fans and newcomers can believe in the world.
Kano (Josh Lawson) will inject humor into the film, utilizing improvisations by the comic actor known from Anchorman 2 and Australian improv show Thank God You're Here. His rivalry with Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) will also run through the course of the film.
The commentary confirms Mileena (Sisi Stringer) is approaching a wasteland of Outworld in the trailer. The sparse landscape is a disused coal mine in Australia that was largely left as-filmed for the sake of "realism and authenticity" [pictured below]. Although Outworld has typically been a fantastical reality in games, the director didn't want a "VFX feel", opting for less intrusive enhancements.
The director also described a sense of reality as being important to the rsearch and development of designs for the characters. Kung Lao's hat was intended to look like the well known game design, going through multiple iterations to account for how it sat on the actor, and comfort.
Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) will be "born" through the opening scenes in feudal Japan, which influenced his design and the infusing of samurai elements. The actor's role in infusing the character with Japanese historic reference was elaborated upon in a recent interview.
Creating Goro required more anatomical consideration for visual effects artists who had to create a practical design for the hulking four-armed warrior. McQuoid couldn't explain the klassic Champion's role in the movie, but expressed happiness with the finished product -- one of the most exciting reveals from the trailer.
R-rated violence and gore has been a much discussed element of a new live-action adaptation, and the director reveals that even the studio was behind the decision from inception. The challenge was navigating ratings restrictions, which was helped by narrative context and the experience of producer Bennett Walsh, who was also an executive producer on both volumes of Kill Bill.
The note about fatalities was inspired by Kano's heart ripping finisher seen towards the end of the trailer. There was no confirmation on the identity of the creature he defeated, which some have speculated could be Reptile. The director also did not comment on an earlier scene, which appears to show the lizard warrior in partial camouflage.
Did the director's commentary further enhance your understanding of what's to come? Mortal Kombat arrives in limited theatrical release and on HBO Max on April 16th. Download the MKO App via App Store or Google Play to subscribe to the release day event and receive notifications! Find more stories & discussion in the Media & Merchandise forum!
Hiroyuki Sanada is one of the established stars set to feature in Mortal Kombat. An accomplished Japanese actor of screen and stage, he was well prepared to take on the fighting role of Scorpion, but as he revealed in an EW interview, there were still some challenges involved. Read on:
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Sanada admitted he wasn't particularly familiar with Scorpion or the Mortal Kombat games prior to taking the role. That didn't stop him enjoying the character's trademark catchphrases though, which set the cast & crew on a roar: "When I performed that signature move with the words in the rehearsal on set for the first time, I had a great reaction..."
Shouting "come here" was just part of his research into the character, which he understood would be scrutinized by fans who "know his weapons and style". While familiarizing himself with the character's history and moves, Sanada also made efforts to infuse his behaviour with genuine Japanese flourish.
"I discussed the fighting style with the choreographer and the stunt team and just jumped into rehearsal," he says. "I tried to create an original style. Since Hanzo Hasashi is a character of Japanese descent, I tried to make authentic movements."
Sanada will play two incarnations of the character, beginning with a ten-minute opening scene, previously revealed by EW, set in feudal Japan. Featured extensively in the red band trailer, it pits Hanzo Hasashi against assassins from the Lin Kuei, presumably leading to his death at the hands of Joe Taslim, who plays Bi-Han - Sub-Zero.
The deviation from established video game canon, which presents the murder as recent history, is similar to the Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries.
Both of the iconic characters will return hundreds of years later to carry on their vengeful feud in the present day. Scorpion's transformation was one of the aspects that attracted Sanada to the role. He described it as "very tasty" to go from "family man to fighting machine". A blend of "family drama with exceedingly brutal fighting" that also piqued his interest.
"Each fight has a reason with the emotion," he says. "The audience can understand why he's fighting, what he's thinking during the fight."
The 60 year old actor boasted that Scorpion wasn't as physically demanding as some of his samurai roles in the 1980s, but demanded more than some of his well known recent movies, such as The Wolverine, Avengers: Endgame, and 47 Ronin.
EW also revealed a first-look at Hiroyuki Sanada surrounded by flame as the infernal Scorpion. The striking image appeared in the red band trailer, and was also one of the screenshots released to MK Online by Warner Brothers.
Mortal Kombat is officially released to limited theatres and HBO Max on April 16th. Download the MKO App via App Store or Google Play to subscribe to the release day event and share your comments below. Find & discuss more movie news in the Media & Merchandise forum!
