Mortal Kombat 2 is still months away from hitting theatres, but it’s already causing a stir. It might be the surprise blockbuster of the year. Early test screenings have left the audience buzzing. According to screenwriter Jeremy Slater, those lucky enough to attend the test screening reacted with explosive energy.
Slater compared the audience’s reaction to that of Avengers: Endgame. This movie serves as a sequel to the Mortal Kombat reboot, released in 2021. While plot details remain tightly under wraps, the reactions are signaling that Mortal Kombat 2 isn’t just another sequel; it might be something truly massive.
Screenwriter Jeremy Slater revealed Mortal Kombat 2 received Avengers: Endgame-level reaction
Mortal Kombat 2, directed by returning helmer Simon McQuoid, officially hits theatres on October 24, 2025. Based on the long-running fighting game franchise by Ed Boon and John Tobias, this movie promises something big. Surrounding the hype, in an interview with ComicBook.com, Slater recalled the excitement in the test screening room.
I have been to those test screenings, which are full of Mortal Kombat fans, and watching them react to it the way I reacted to Avengers: Endgame. They were cheering and jumping out of their seats. Every joke is landing, and they are loving it. It’s one of the greatest moments of my life. That’s why you get into this business.
That’s no small claim coming from someone whose career spans superhero series and genre hits like Fantastic Four and The Umbrella Academy. But this project is especially personal as he is making his video game debut with this movie. A lifelong fan of the series, he says he approached the project with the passion of someone who grew up begging his parents for a Sega Genesis just to play Mortal Kombat.
That passion has transformed into a movie he says “nailed” the balance between spectacle and emotional storytelling.
Jeremy Slater also emphasized a “satisfying” result of Mortal Kombat 2
With more than 20 iconic characters packed into the sequel, Slater emphasized the importance of maintaining emotional clarity amidst the action. He said,
It’s very easy for these things to become three-to-four-hour, sprawling epics, so you always have to be judicious in cutting things down, and what’s the emotional story we are telling, and what is the story the audience cares about.
Slater also made sure the fights, the fatalities, and everything landed in a “satisfying” way that every fan expects them to be. He also reassured fans that they had the “best stunt team in the business” and much bigger than the first movie.
Initially skeptical, but now fan anticipation is especially high for the debut of Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, a character teased at the end of the first movie. Urban’s portrayal is expected to bring humor and more depth, avoiding the trap of turning Cage into pure comic relief.
Also joining the cast are Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, and Damon Herriman as Quan Chi, alongside returning stars like Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion and Ludi Lin as Liu Kang. Surprisingly, previously deceased characters like Kano and Kung Lao are also set to return. Although a trailer has not yet been released, fans speculate that footage could arrive soon with the movie’s October release drawing near.
With overwhelmingly positive early feedback, Mortal Kombat 2 could become one of the most successful video game movies ever made and possibly a breakout moment for the franchise on the big screen, just like Avengers: Endgame, one of the best blockbusters of all time.
Mortal Kombat 2 is scheduled to release on October 24, 2025.
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