Street Fighter landed the top spot at the worldwide weekend box office, opening to $51.1 million for Paramount, Legendary and Capcom.

The Kitao Sakurai-directed movie collected $31 million domestically and another $20.1 million from 65 international markets. Its debut fell short of the hoped-for $70 million worldwide launch, but industry sources familiar with the film’s economics believe the $82 million net production will ultimately be in a solid position after ancillary revenue.

Paramount, now owned by Skydance, is handling the film through a distribution deal. Capcom and Legendary co-financed the production.

The opening marks a substantial increase over the property’s previous major theatrical outing. The 1994 Street Fighter, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, debuted with $6.8 million domestically before finishing with $33.4 million in North America and $99.4 million worldwide. Those figures have not been adjusted for inflation or currency changes.

Older Fans Drive the Opening

The audience was largely made up of older fans, while the broader crowd anticipated for the PG-13 release did not materialize during opening weekend. The rating had raised hopes that families might turn out in a way they could not for the R-rated Mortal Kombat.

Compared with other titles in similar international markets, however, Street Fighter delivered some encouraging results. Its $20.1 million overseas start was 4% ahead of Mortal Kombat II and 2% above Free Guy on a like-for-like basis. Mortal Kombat II had a reported $63 million worldwide opening, including $23 million from 78 territories and 31,000 screens.

Shot for Imax, Street Fighter earned $7.7 million across the format’s global network. That included $5.4 million in North America, representing 18% of the weekend, and $2.3 million from 471 international screens.

The film opened at No. 1 in the UK with $3.3 million from 593 sites, followed by Mexico with $1.8 million from 865 locations and Australia with $1.6 million from 260. It also led in Indonesia with $384,000, Taiwan with $235,000 and Panama with $228,000.

No. 2 finishes included Brazil at $1.2 million, the UAE at $705,000, Malaysia at $491,000, Hong Kong at $201,000 and Thailand at $200,000. The Middle East generated $1.4 million overall.

Germany delivered $850,000 for a third-place opening. The movie also ranked third in the Philippines and Colombia, with $275,000 and $227,000, respectively. In France, where riots against police restricted moviegoing, it placed fourth with $1.1 million. Spain produced $550,000 and the Netherlands added $314,000, both also at No. 4.

Japan contributed $875,000 from 333 locations for a No. 5 finish, while Italy generated $451,000. Korea opened the movie at No. 8 with $242,000. In India, Street Fighter earned $431,000 from 1,064 locations as Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer 2 led the market with an estimated $18 million. Jailer 2 was estimated at approximately $32 million worldwide, placing it second globally, with official figures still expected.

The Rest of the Worldwide Box Office

Resident Evil, another big-screen adaptation of a Capcom game, took third globally in its fifth weekend with $22.6 million. The Sony and Constantin release added $17.1 million internationally and $5.5 million domestically, lifting its worldwide total to $361.1 million. Of that sum, $212.7 million has come from overseas.

Disney and 20th Century Studios’ Whalefall opened in sixth place worldwide with $17.5 million against a net production cost of $60 million. The Brian Duffield-directed film reached No. 1 in Bosnia, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and placed second in several markets, including China, Korea and India. Mexico was its best territory with $800,000.

Other Mommy ranked fourth worldwide in its second weekend, taking $17.9 million. The Universal, Blumhouse and Atomic Monster title has now reached $78.7 million globally against a net $19 million production price. Its domestic weekend fell 70% to $8.3 million, while 65 international territories supplied $9.5 million.

Amazon MGM Studios’ Verity rounded out the global top five with $17.6 million in its third weekend. The Colleen Hoover adaptation, starring Dakota Johnson, Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett, has earned $145.3 million worldwide, including $79.2 million internationally and $66.2 million in North America.

ShowBiz Take

Street Fighter won the weekend decisively, but its $51.1 million start tells a mixed story. The movie improved dramatically on the domestic opening of the 1994 film and posted competitive international comparisons, yet it remained well below the $70 million global launch that had been anticipated. Its Imax contribution and No. 1 finishes across several major markets are meaningful strengths; expanding beyond the older fans who powered opening weekend is now the central test.

What Happens Next?

The focus shifts to how well Street Fighter holds after its opening round. Industry sources believe ancillary revenue should help the $82 million production over time, but its theatrical trajectory will depend on whether the PG-13 release can broaden its audience in the coming weeks.