Warner Bros.’ reboot of “Mortal Kombat,” based on the popular fighting game franchise, will now debut three months later than expected, on April 16, 2021.
“Mortal Kombat” was meant to be released Jan. 15, but will now open in a slot previously held by the Hugh Jackman sci-fi movie “Reminiscence,” which will soon be rescheduled for another time in 2021.
“Tom & Jerry” will also open one week earlier, on Feb. 26, 2021.
None of the changes affect Warner Bros.’ plans to release its entire 2021 slate in theaters and on HBO Max the same day, with the studio saying from the beginning that its lineup was subject to changes. That release strategy — which also applies to films such as “The Matrix 4,” “Dune” and the upcoming “Wonder Woman 1984” on Christmas Day — has earned Warner Bros. enormous backlash over the last few weeks, with filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve and Judd Apatow publicly slamming the decision.
“Mortal Kombat” is based on the popular video game franchise and is directed by Simon McQuoid. The film stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks and Ludi Lin, with Chin Han, Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada. The film is about Earth’s greatest champions who are called upon to fight the enemies of the Outworld in a tournament for the fate of the planet. The original film adaptation of “Mortal Kombat” hit screens in 1995 and was followed with a sequel, “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation,” in 1997.
“Reminiscence” stars Thandie Newton and Rebecca Ferguson alongside Jackson, and is directed by “Westworld” creator Lisa Joy. The film is about a scientist who discovers a way to relive the past and uses his new technology to search for his long lost love.
“Tom & Jerry” is a live-action and animated hybrid based on the iconic cartoon cat and mouse, and stars Chloe Grace Moretz in a film directed by Tim Story.
For the record: A previous version of this story stated that “Reminiscence” was “bumped” from the release slate. It will be redated shortly.
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