{ "id": "epaj634fds", "slug": "mortal-kombat-annihilation", "title": "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries", "label": "Action, thriller, and crime series film entries", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s", "label": "Entries released in the 1990s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: Entries released in the 1990s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries", "label": "Action, thriller, and crime series film entries", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s", "label": "Entries released in the 1990s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) is the New Line Cinema sequel to the 1995 Mortal Kombat film, directed by John R. Leonetti. It earned $51.3 million worldwide, scored 4% on Rotten Tomatoes and 11 on Metacritic, and ended the 1990s film series until the 2021 reboot.", "snippet": "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) is the New Line Cinema sequel to the 1995 Mortal Kombat film, directed by John R. Leonetti. It earned $51.3 million worldwide, scored 4% on Rotten Tomatoes and 11 on Metacritic, and ended the 1990s film series until the 2021 reboot.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s", "markdown": "# Mortal Kombat: Annihilation\n\n**Mortal Kombat: Annihilation** is a 1997 American fantasy action film, the second live-action adaptation of the [Mortal Kombat](https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat) fighting game series and a direct sequel to the 1995 film *Mortal Kombat*. Directed by John R. Leonetti and produced by Lawrence Kasanoff for New Line Cinema, it follows the warriors of the first film as they defend Earth from the Outworld emperor [Shao Kahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/shao-kahn), who has broken the rules of the Mortal Kombat tournament and invaded directly.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa0e) Released on November 21, 1997, the film earned about $51.3 million worldwide against a $30 million budget and received some of the weakest critical ratings recorded for a wide theatrical release, with a 4% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metascore of 11.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/critic-reviews/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | November 21, 1997 (wide, New Line Cinema); video release August 25, 1998[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation) |\n| Director / producer | John R. Leonetti; Lawrence Kasanoff[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation) |\n| Rating and runtime | PG-13 for non-stop martial arts violence; 95 minutes[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation) |\n| Box office | $16,771,694 opening weekend in 2,140 theaters; $35,927,406 domestic; $51,327,406 worldwide, against a $30,000,000 production budget[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation) |\n| Critical scores | 4% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (53 reviews); Metascore 11 from 12 critics; 24% audience score on the Popcornmeter[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/critic-reviews/) |\n| Principal cast | Robin Shou (Liu Kang), Talisa Soto (Kitana), Sandra Hess (Sonya Blade), Lynn \"Red\" Williams (Jax), James Remar (Raiden), Brian Thompson (Shao Kahn)[2](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa0e) |\n| Franchise aftermath | No third live-action film followed; the series rebooted with *Mortal Kombat* in 2021[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/mortal-kombat-annihilation) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nEvery generation, a portal opens between Outworld and Earth. Emperor Shao Kahn (Brian Thompson), ruler of Outworld, slips through the moment it reopens with his warriors, intending to conquer Earth and merge the two realms, and he has only seven days to complete the task. Opposing him, the warriors [Sonya Blade](https://www.edgepedia.org/sonya-blade) (Sandra Hess), Jax (Lynn \"Red\" Williams), Kitana ([Talisa Soto](https://www.edgepedia.org/talisa-soto)), and [Liu Kang](https://www.edgepedia.org/liu-kang) (Robin Shou) prepare for war.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation) The story continues directly from the ending of the 1995 film, which had closed on a cliffhanger involving Shao Kahn.[6](https://www.looper.com/1043003/the-untold-truth-of-mortal-kombat-annihilation/)\n\n### Place in the franchise\n\nThe film's failure ended the 1990s film series: as one retrospective put it, it \"flopped so hard it sent its characters back to their original, video-game realm until a 2021 live-action reboot.\"[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/mortal-kombat-annihilation) A planned third film, at one point announced as *Mortal Kombat: Devastation*, spent years in development without reaching production, and the film rights eventually moved to Warner Bros., which released the reboot *Mortal Kombat* on April 23, 2021.[8](https://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/Mortal_Kombat%3A_Annihilation) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119707)\n\nWithin the franchise's box office history, *Annihilation* remains the lowest-grossing live-action entry: the 1995 film and the 2021 reboot each opened to about $23 million, compared with Annihilation's $16 million debut, and later releases out-earned it in raw dollars.[10](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/as-mortal-kombat-2-debuts-to-a-series-best-opening-weekend-producer-apologizes-for-lashing-out-against-critics-who-have-no-idea-what-the-fans-want/) Adjusted for inflation, its domestic gross equals about $88.5 million.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation) The film has since developed a following as a \"so bad it's good\" title, and both 1990s films were later released together in an Arrow Video 4K Blu-ray box set.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation) • [11](https://www.saltypopcorn.co.uk/movies/mortal-kombat-annihilation)\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe film was written by Brent V. Friedman, Bryce Zabel, Lawrence Kasanoff, Joshua Wexler, John Tobias, and [Ed Boon](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-boon), the last two being co-creators of the original game, and was shot with Matthew F. Leonetti as cinematographer.[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/61079?cxt=filmography) According to a retrospective account, the production was rushed, with truncated development and post-production schedules and additional material filmed to make the story more coherent.[6](https://www.looper.com/1043003/the-untold-truth-of-mortal-kombat-annihilation/) Producer Lawrence Kasanoff later said the film reached theaters unfinished, stating, \"I'm telling you the effects in that movie are not the final effects.\"[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation)\n\nNew Line opened the film wide on November 21, 1997 in 2,140 theaters. It debuted at number one with $16,771,694, but business fell sharply afterward: the second weekend dropped about 60 percent, and the film left most theaters within weeks, averaging a 5.1-week run per theater.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation) Domestic receipts of $35,927,406 made up 70 percent of its $51,327,406 worldwide total, about 1.7 times the production budget.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation) A home video release followed on August 25, 1998.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation)\n\n## Critical reception\n\n**Reviews were overwhelmingly negative.** On Metacritic the film holds a Metascore of 11, labeled \"overwhelming dislike,\" based on 12 critic reviews, none positive; the user score is 3.7 from 209 ratings.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/critic-reviews/) Rotten Tomatoes lists a 4% Tomatometer from 53 reviews, with a critics consensus citing \"shallow characters, low budget special effects, and mindless fight scenes\" and \"minimal plot development.\"[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation) The Los Angeles Times review noted that the film was not screened for the media in advance.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/critic-reviews/)\n\nRecurring criticisms targeted the story and the effects. James Berardinelli of ReelViews wrote that the film \"has no story, no characters, and no coherence,\" and Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called it \"fragmented and monotonous,\" lacking the gymnastic cleverness that made the first film watchable.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/critic-reviews/) Variety described the picture as largely choppily edited fight scenes combined with computer graphic effects.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/critic-reviews/) A later retrospective review in *Gone With The Twins* singled out the climax's computer-generated \"animalities,\" the game series' finishing moves, as effects that should not have been translated to cinema.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Mortal Kombat Annihilation, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mortal_kombat_annihilation)\n2. [Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Metacritic overview](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa0e)\n3. [Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Box office and financial information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mortal-Kombat-Annihilation)\n4. [Mortal Kombat: Annihilation critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mortal-kombat-annihilation/critic-reviews/)\n5. [Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/mortal-kombat-annihilation)\n6. [The Untold Truth Of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Looper](https://www.looper.com/1043003/the-untold-truth-of-mortal-kombat-annihilation/)\n7. [Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/61079?cxt=filmography)\n8. [Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Mortal Kombat Wiki](https://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/Mortal_Kombat%3A_Annihilation)\n9. [Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119707)\n10. [As Mortal Kombat 2 debuts to a series-best opening weekend, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/as-mortal-kombat-2-debuts-to-a-series-best-opening-weekend-producer-apologizes-for-lashing-out-against-critics-who-have-no-idea-what-the-fans-want/)\n11. [Mortal Kombat Annihilation review, Salty Popcorn (Arrow Video 4K box set)](https://www.saltypopcorn.co.uk/movies/mortal-kombat-annihilation)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Action, thriller, and crime series film entries › Entries released in the 1990s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-annihilation", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-annihilation.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Mortal Kombat: Annihilation\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-annihilation. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Mortal Kombat: Annihilation](https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-annihilation)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-annihilation](https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-annihilation). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Mortal Kombat: Annihilation\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-annihilation. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is the New Line Cinema sequel to the 1995 Mortal Kombat film, directed by John R. Leonetti." }