Mortal Kombat 2, Michael Biopic, and More Arrive on Streaming and VOD
Mortal Kombat 2, the sequel to the 2021 reboot, has arrived on VOD alongside a wave of new streaming titles including the Michael Jackson biopic Michael and several new Netflix and platform exclusives. The film stars Karl Urban as Johnny Cage and earned $80 million at the box office during its theatrical run before moving to digital. The weekend's streaming slate is notably broad, spanning anime, stop-motion animation, body horror, and creature features across multiple platforms.
Mortal Kombat 2, directed by Simon McQuoid and starring Karl Urban as washed-up action star Johnny Cage and Adeline Rudolph as Princess Kitana, is now available to rent on VOD after its theatrical run. The film blends martial arts fantasy with gore-heavy fight sequences, including a scene that recreates the 2D fighting style of the original video games. Also arriving on VOD is Michael, the 2026 biopic of Michael Jackson starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson, which has drawn controversy for omitting references to Jackson's legal issues and abuse allegations. On Netflix, new arrivals include Scarlet, an anime reimagining of Hamlet from Mirai director Mamoru Hosoda, and I Am Frankelda, Mexico's first full-length stop-motion feature produced with involvement from Guillermo del Toro. Other notable releases include the body horror film Saccharine on VOD, The Strangers – Chapter 3 on Starz, and the Norwegian creature feature Kraken, described as a spiritual companion to Troll.
How coverage differed
The New York Post framed Mortal Kombat 2 skeptically, noting its reviewer 'didn't love it' while acknowledging its box office success, and described the Michael biopic as 'controversial' and an 'uncomfortable attempt at reputation rehab.' Polygon offered a more neutral-to-positive framing of Mortal Kombat 2, quoting its review approvingly on the fight scenes, and did not cover Michael at all.
What different sources said
- PolygonCenter
Mortal Kombat 2 and 9 more movies to stream on Netflix and beyond this weekend
- New York PostRight
New Movies on Streaming: ‘Mortal Kombat 2,’ ‘Michael,’ + More
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