Paramount’s live-action “Street Fighter” drew a split verdict from early viewers after its Los Angeles premiere Monday, with fans of the arcade classic cheering the camp and critics of the script groaning.
Writer-director Kitao Sakurai’s film opens in theaters Friday. It is set in 1993 and follows estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), who are pulled back into combat when Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. Cody Rhodes plays Guile, Orville Peck plays Vega and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson plays Balrog. Roman Reigns and David Dastmalchian also appear.
Paramount let premiere and screening attendees post short reactions on social media, and the tone leaned positive. ComicBook’s Chris Killian called the film “Bloodsport on horse steroids,” a nod to the 1988 martial-arts cult favorite. Another viewer compared the movie to a rental you would grab on a Friday night in the video-store era. Critic Maude Garrett said she got goosebumps from the way it honors the characters’ signature moves, and counted over 100 Easter eggs for longtime players. Several reviewers singled out 2D animated flashbacks as a highlight, and one said the film is a better successor to 1995’s “Mortal Kombat” than recent entries in that franchise.
Not everyone left satisfied. Tessa Smith of Mama’s Geeky praised the animation and some of the fights but said the film “ultimately falls flat.” Others said the jokes rarely land and the story feels incomplete. One critic argued the movie never settles on a direction, and that its bolder swings hurt more than they help. That reviewer also found the portrayals of Cammy, M. Bison and Guile hard to recognize. A third viewer wished the film had taken itself slightly more seriously, even while admiring its fight choreography.
The film arrives with a troubled development history. Sakurai, whose credits include “The Eric Andre Show” and “Twisted Metal,” took over after “Talk to Me” directors Danny and Michael Philippou left the project. The only previous major live-action attempt, the 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, is remembered more for its excess than its fidelity.
Sakurai says a sequel is already being written. Whether it goes forward, he has said, depends on how audiences react this weekend.
Hmm — “Whether” is banned. Let me fix that.
Better final paragraph: “Sakurai says a sequel is already in the writing stage. Its fate, he has said, hinges on how audiences respond this weekend.”
Kitao Sakurai’s #StreetFighter delivers a chaotic mixed bag of action, anime madness, epic characters, combos, and showdowns that don’t always land. However, Sakurai’s brilliance behind the camera has helped craft one of the year’s most visually stunning, fun blockbusters. pic.twitter.com/2Z0qCjFkTr
— Phil Roberts (@philthecool) October 13, 2026
#StreetFighter is at its best when it doesn't take itself too seriously. Noah Centineo and Cody Rhodes got the memo, and as such they completely steal the film. Some great needle-drops too. Tbh I didn't really know what was going on though because I was crap at the game. pic.twitter.com/nyOIpuVgEL
— Matt Rodgers @LFF (@MainstreamMatt) October 13, 2026
This might be a controversial thing to say but STREET FIGHTER (2026) often feels like a better successor to Mortal Kombat (1995) than either recent MK movies.
One of the few big-budget projects that actually nails the vibe and energy of anime in live-action.
— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) October 13, 2026
