Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer Plummet in Second Weekend

May 3, 2021

It was a tale of two weekends as Demon Slayer and Mortal Kombat, both big earners in their initial outings, dropped 70% and 73% in Week 2 and returned the budding box office back to pandemic normalcy. Demon Slayer, already a champion worldwide with a $456.1 million gross, topped the charts (despite playing in fewer theaters than MK) with $6.4M bringing its domestic total to $32.2M, while Mortal Kombat collected $6.2M for a $34M 10-day total.

Mortal Kombat’s drop follows the trend of most video game movies aside from the surprise hit Sonic: the Hedgehog. In 2005, Doom dropped 73% in Week 2, while 2001’s Tomb Raider plummeted 59%. Per Deadline, even 1995’s Mortal Kombat fell 56% in its sophomore frame after clearing $25M its opening weekend. So, while the decline is troublesome, it’s not unexpected.

Similarly, Demon Slayer never had much appeal domestically beyond its core audience and will happily settle for its half-billion-dollar worldwide gross.

The only other new release was Separation, which collected $1.8M from 1,751 theaters.

Elsewhere, Godzilla vs. Kong hauled in another $2.74M to bring its domestic tally to $90.3M.

1.) Demon Slayer (Fun/Ani) 1,870 theaters (+281)/Fri $1.81M/Sat $2.66M/Sun $1.9M/3-day $6.4M (-70%) Total: $32.2M/ Wk 2

2.) Mortal Kombat (New Line/WB), 3,114 theaters (+41) /Fri, $1.85M, 3-day $6.2M (-73%) Total: $34M/Wk 2

3.) Godzilla vs. Kong (WB/Leg) 2,573 theaters (-103),/ 3-day: $2.74M (-36%) Total: $90.3M/Wk 5

4.) Separation (OR) 1,751 theaters, Fri $675K, Sat $680K, Sun $476K, 3-day $1.8M/Wk 1

5.) Raya and the Last Dragon (Dis) 1,810 theaters (-9), Fri $350K/Sat $605K/Sun $380k/ 3-day: $1.33M (-22%) Total: $41.5M/Wk 9

6.) Nobody (Uni) 2,056 theaters (-196) Fri $360K/Sat $560K/Sun $340K/3-day: $1.26M (-28%) Total $23.3M/Wk 6

7.) The Unholy (Sony) 1,538 theaters (-297) /Fri $305K/Sat $465K/Sun $295K/$1.06M (-27%) Total: $13.1M/Wk 5

8.) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (re) (Uni) 152 theaters, Fri $340K/Sat $230K/Sun $150K/$720K Total: $32.4M/Wk 560

9.) Tom & Jerry (WB) 1,209 theaters (-334), 3-day: $515K (-29%)/Total: $44.2M/Wk 10

10.) Together Together (BST) 659 theaters (-6), Fri $95K, Sat $132,7K, Sun $85K, 3-day: $313K (-41%) Total: $1.02M/Wk 2

Jeff lives and breathes all things sports and entertainment! As a die-hard Seahawks fan and devoted Utah Jazz supporter, you'll often find him cheering his heart out for his favorite teams. Jeff's passion for movies is unrivaled, and he has channeled that enthusiasm into a successful stint at ComingSoon.net. When he's not immersed in the world of media, Jeff loves spending quality time swearing at his favorite sports teams with his family. He also loves hats.