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Let the Mother’s Day contest begin at the box office .

Video game adaptation Mortal Kombat II has started off its North American run with $5.2 million in Thursday previews and early Imax screening held on Wednesday. While some tracking services showed the male-fueled martial arts sequel opening to $45 million or more, New Line and parent company Warner Bros. are predicting a far more conservative launch in the $35 million range to $40 million range for a worldwide bow anywhere between $65 million and $80 million.

In 2021, Mortal Kombat was by all accounts a resounding hit on streaming when launching simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max due to the ongoing pandemic.…