Box Office: ‘Mortal Kombat II’ Leads Friday but Faces Tight Race With ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ for Mother’s Day Weekend Crown
(L-R) Ludi Lin as “Liu Kang”, Mehcad Brooks as “Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs”, Jessica McNamee as “Sonya Blade”, and Karl Urban as “Johnny Cage” in New Line Cinema’s “Mortal Kombat II,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Mortal Kombat II edges Friday box office but remains locked in a close $40M–$41M weekend battle with The Devil Wears Prada 2 as Mother’s Day traffic reshapes the domestic race.
The North American box office is heading into a tightly contested Mother’s Day weekend, with New Line’s Mortal Kombat II and 20th Century’s The Devil Wears Prada 2 emerging as the two dominant forces in a rare gender-split box office showdown.
Mortal Kombat II opened Friday in the top spot with an estimated $17 million, including $5.2 million from previews and IMAX early access screenings. The video game adaptation is now tracking toward a domestic opening in the $40 million to $41 million range, closely matching early projections and positioning itself as a solid but measured launch for Warner Bros. and New Line.
The audience breakdown for Mortal Kombat II skewed heavily male, with more than 75 percent of Friday’s turnout, reinforcing the franchise’s established core demographic. The film also received a B+ CinemaScore, suggesting a moderately positive but not overwhelming audience reception heading into the weekend.
Meanwhile, The Devil Wears Prada 2 continues to demonstrate stronger-than-expected staying power in its second frame. The sequel brought in $9.8 million on Friday and is also tracking toward a $40 million to $41 million weekend, setting up a near photo-finish race for the top box office position.
Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep And Stanley Tucci In 'The Devil Wears Prada 2.' MACALL POLAY/WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION
More significantly, the film has already surpassed the entire lifetime domestic total of the original The Devil Wears Prada, crossing $326 million globally in just its second weekend. That milestone positions the sequel as one of the most commercially successful female-driven releases in recent years, with momentum that continues to build heading into its second full week.
Internationally, Prada 2 remains ahead of the pack, where it is expected to secure the No. 1 global weekend position despite domestic competition from Mortal Kombat II. The film’s crossover appeal across adult female audiences and broader mainstream viewers has helped it sustain unusually strong second-week performance for a legacy sequel.
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The final weekend ranking is expected to come down to Mother’s Day traffic, where The Devil Wears Prada 2 holds a potential advantage due to its demographic strength among female audiences and multi-generational appeal. Analysts note that this dynamic could mirror earlier female-driven box office surges seen in breakout titles like Barbie, albeit on a smaller scale.
Elsewhere in the marketplace, Lionsgate’s Michael continues its strong run, projected to earn more than $35 million in its third weekend. The biopic has now crossed $500 million globally and officially overtaken Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest-grossing music biopic in North America, not adjusted for inflation.
New releases are also entering the crowded frame, including Amazon MGM’s The Sheep Detectives, which is tracking toward a $14 million to $15 million debut following strong critical response and an A CinemaScore. The film’s unconventional premise — centered on talking sheep solving a murder — has emerged as one of the weekend’s surprise breakout curiosities.
Paramount’s Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) is also entering the marketplace, projected to round out the top five with an $8 million domestic opening. Co-directed by James Cameron and Billie Eilish, the concert film utilizes custom 3D camera systems designed to simulate a fully immersive live experience.
Overall, the Mother’s Day corridor is expected to deliver an 87 percent year-over-year increase in domestic box office revenue, marking one of the strongest comparative weekends of the year.
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