‘Street Fighter’ Presales Land a Solid First Punch as Trackers Eye a $20M+ Opening
Paramount’s ‘Street Fighter’ is gearing up for one of the most closely watched video game adaptations of the fall. Directed by Kitao Sakurai, who took over after Danny and Michael Philippou exited in 2024, the Legendary and Capcom production is set in 1993 and follows estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters as Chun-Li recruits them for the World Warrior Tournament. The PG-13 film hits theaters on October 16 in IMAX and RealD 3D.
The cast mixes Hollywood actors with wrestling and music stars. Andrew Koji plays Ryu, Noah Centineo is Ken, Callina Liang takes on Chun-Li, and David Dastmalchian plays M. Bison, while Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, 50 Cent, and Orville Peck round out the roster as Blanka, Akuma, Guile, Balrog, and Vega. Paramount released one final “Tickets on Sale” trailer on September 21, officially kicking off the film’s presale campaign.
Now the first read on those ticket sales is in. Box office tracker TheFlatLannister shared an update on the BoxOfficeTheory forums, which spread quickly through Reddit’s r/boxoffice community, saying the first day of ‘Street Fighter’ presales came in roughly as expected.
According to the tracker, sales got off to a very good start in the sample labeled MTC2 but looked only okayish in the one labeled MTC3. Putting it all together, the tracker believes the film is probably headed for an opening weekend somewhere in the $20 million range.
That estimate sits a little below some earlier expectations. When BoxOfficeTheory released its 5-week outlook, Dark Horizons reported that the site tipped both ‘Street Fighter’ and Jessica Chastain’s ‘Other Mommy’ as October’s potential biggest openers, with each projected at around $30 million.
PERFECT! Watch the New Trailer for Street Fighter, hitting theaters everywhere October 16. pic.twitter.com/jAAPf1k9jf
— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) September 1, 2026
The outlet’s tracking also pointed to useful comparisons. BoxOfficeTheory listed ‘Mortal Kombat II’ and ‘Masters of the Universe’ as current analogs, noting that the PG-13 rating could widen the audience to teenagers. For context, Amazon MGM’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ debuted to a soft $29.3 million domestically earlier this year.
Not every signal has been encouraging. Cosmic Book News reported that ‘Street Fighter’ posted the worst 2-week move on The Quorum’s 8-week tracking chart, slipping to 39% awareness and 39% interest after drops of 7 and 5 points. Fellow video game adaptation ‘Resident Evil’ led that same chart at 51% in both categories before opening to a franchise-record $61 million.
Still, BoxOfficeTheory has noted that a mid-fall slate without copious competition could work in the film’s favor. October’s other big titles are also tracking modestly, with Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ appearing on NRG tracking with a likely $20 million debut and DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’ projected near $23.5 million.
The strongest woman in the world. CALLINA LIANG is CHUN-LI. Get tickets for #StreetFighterMovie now, hitting theaters everywhere October 16. pic.twitter.com/C1R5bgmCuj
— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) September 22, 2026
The pressure is real because this is the third attempt to bring the fighting game to the big screen. The 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raúl Juliá and 2009’s ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’ starring Kristin Kreuk both struggled to win over fans.
This version has had its own bumpy road too. Sony originally set it for March 20, 2026, before the project moved to Paramount and landed its October slot. Produced by Mary Parent and filmed in Japan, the new take is betting on its colorful ensemble and 90s setting to finally deliver the adaptation fans have wanted.
FIGHT! Watch the Official Trailer for Street Fighter, hitting theaters everywhere October 16. pic.twitter.com/dzGuLba4Z0
— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) April 16, 2026
With presales only just underway, there’s plenty of time for momentum to build. Social reactions, reviews, and word of mouth will likely decide whether ‘Street Fighter’ lands in the low $20 million range or climbs closer to the $30 million mark.
Do you think Street Fighter can break the franchise’s box office curse?
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