Bad reviews and box office be damned — fans still see Street Fighter 2 happening

Let's be honest, plenty of video game films turn out a bit ropey, and the new Street Fighter flick is hardly breaking that pattern. Still, even after critics have had a go at it and with the box office not exactly set alight, fans are somehow still holding a candle (or a flaming Hadoken) for a sequel. Here's a rundown of what's really going on with this one.

Street Fighter hit cinemas in the US on 16 October 2026 and has only drummed up $51 million from its reported $82 million budget.

The film landed courtesy of Paramount Pictures this October, and immediately ran into the usual split between punters and reviewers. The critics basically shrugged and gave it a limp 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, while general audiences have been a bit more forgiving – the crowd score sits up at 79%. Despite that, with barely over fifty million in box office takings over its first weekend, nobody's calling it a hit just yet. That budget wasn't small, either, coming in at 82 million dollars. Not ideal maths for studio executives, let's be real.

Now, the loudest calls for a second film aren't coming from the studios, but from Twitter (well, "X" if you're being pedantic). Fans are openly defending the film online despite the rough critical ride. Comments range from "51 million over 3 days is pretty decent" to "This movie is way better than critics made it out to be, as usual. Just have fun??" Some take a less serious tack, saying things like, "For fans of the games, it's a great movie; for fans of the old movie, it's a great movie, and for neither, it's a cheesy, funny, amazing 2 hours of entertainment. What's not to love…" The underlying vibe: take it for what it is, not what you wish it was.

There's a point to be made there — Hollywood has greenlit sequels to bigger flops than this. If there's enough noise, and maybe some strong home and streaming sales down the line, don't rule out a second round. There's studio precedent for chasing a fanbase even when the financials look a bit wonky at first glance.

The Climax and Sequel Bait

If you haven't seen the film yet and don't fancy spoilers, this is the bit to skip. The final fight goes pleasantly off-the-rails: Ryu leans into his dark side, shifts into Evil Ryu mode (yes, red eyes and goth gi included), then tries to wipe the floor with basically everyone, including his own mates Ken, Chun-Li and Dan.

Ken, predictably, steps up, goes supercharged himself, and sorts Ryu out with a fireball to the face – don't worry, they patch things up in classic action movie fashion by belting out 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?" as a group singalong. The villains get away, because of course they do: Bison nicks off with the knocked-out Akuma to harvest more psycho power, setting up room for a grudge match next time. Meanwhile, the main crew (now including Guile and Dhalsim) pile into a car, ready to chase down Bison for what would presumably be sequel material. And yes, Bison's off recruiting Sagat on some mystery island, because nothing says "sequel hook" like a sneaky tropical team-up.

The reality: you can catch Street Fighter in cinemas now if you want to witness the carnage – or just sit back, watch Twitter keep the dream alive, and wait to see if Paramount actually doubles down for round two.