Mortal Kombat Annihilation | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | John R. Leonetti |
Screenplay by |
|
Story by |
|
Based on | |
Produced by | Lawrence Kasanoff |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
Edited by | Peck Prior |
Music by | George S. Clinton |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $30 million[3] |
Box office | $51.3 million[4] |
Mortal Kombat Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts fantasy film directed by John R. Leonetti in his directorial debut. Based on the Mortal Kombat video game franchise, it is the second installment in the Mortal Kombat film series and a sequel to the original 1995 film, on which Leonetti served as cinematographer. Largely adapted from the 1995 video game Mortal Kombat 3, Annihilation follows Liu Kang and his allies as they attempt to prevent the malevolent Shao Kahn from conquering Earthrealm. It stars Robin Shou as Liu Kang, Talisa Soto as Kitana, James Remar as Raiden, Sandra Hess as Sonya Blade, Lynn “Red” Williams as Jax and Brian Thompson as Shao Kahn. Only Shou and Soto reprised their roles, with the other characters from the previous film being recast.
Mortal Kombat Annihilation was theatrically released on November 21, 1997 by New Line Cinema. The film debuted at number one at the box office but dropped the next week due to overwhelming negative reviews, particularly for its story, characters and special effects. Annihilation was a box office bomb, grossing $51.3 million against a $30 million budget. A direct sequel was consequently canceled and a third film languished in development hell for nearly two decades until the series was rebooted in 2021.