Street Fighter opens with about $4M in Thursday previews; weekend eyed near $30M
Paramount and Legendary’s PG-13 Capcom adaptation took roughly $4 million in U.S. Thursday previews and is tracking for a domestic opening north of $30 million — and a global start near $70 million — as one of the first theatrical releases in the Paramount–Warner Bros. post-merger era.
Thursday previews: Deadline reported that Street Fighter earned about $4 million after showtimes that began at 2 p.m. Thursday, further boosted by a 7 p.m. fan showtime. The expectation is an opening north of $30 million for the net-$82 million production co-financed by Legendary and Capcom, Deadline said. Variety’s pre-weekend forecast had put the domestic range at roughly $25 million to $35 million from about 3,500 theaters.
Global outlook: In its weekend preview, Deadline projected a high-$30 millions domestic start and mid-$30 million international debut for a near-$70 million global opening or more. Variety separately estimated about $35 million overseas from roughly 65 markets. The film opens widely abroad except China, where Paramount does not have rights, Deadline reported.
Studio and merger context: Street Fighter is the first theatrical release under Legendary’s new global distribution deal with Paramount, Deadline and Variety reported. Deadline also framed it alongside Warner Bros. Clockwork’s limited re-release of The Devils as among the first movies opening under the newly combined Paramount–Warner Bros. post-merger slate. Critics were cooler than exhibitors’ forecasts: Deadline cited a 47% Rotten Tomatoes score as previews began.
Weekend competition: Also opening: 20th Century’s Whalefall (Variety: about $10–12 million), Focus Features’ Sense and Sensibility (about $5–8 million), and A24’s documentary You Can See Everything, which Deadline said filed about $2 million in Thursday previews with talk of a possible $10 million-plus start if younger audiences show up. Mid-fall school breaks may help traffic, Deadline noted, citing Rentrak figures on K–12 and college schedules.
Why it matters now: Video-game adaptations remain a high-stakes theatrical bet; a $30 million-plus PG-13 open would give Paramount and Legendary a franchise foothold while testing whether the combined Paramount–Warner Bros. calendar can stack diverse demos in the same weekend.