When Mortal Kombat had its own theater production in the mid-90s… and it was a huge success

Although the official narrative claims that Street Fighter has always been much more popular than any of its competitors, from Tekken to The King of Fighters, the truth is that there is one that, at least in its early days, overshadowed it. Mortal Kombat, with its gore, its fatalities, and its absurd violence, was not only a subject of controversy worldwide after its release in 1992, but it also sold millions of copies and spawned a franchise based on comics, video games, television series, movies, and, to everyone’s surprise, even a theater production! Put on your tuxedo and bow tie, because we are going to the premiere.

You win! Fatality!

In 1995, the world was enjoying both Mortal Kombat 3 and Street Fighter II Turbo, in the golden age of one-on-one fighting games. And since the Capcom franchise bet on cinema, in that indelible piece of pop culture called Street Fighter: The Movie, Midway was not going to fall short: they would not only release their own adaptation in August (which was, by the way, an absolute blockbuster that annihilated its competition with 122 million raised against 99), but they would also expand their audience in September by hitting the stage with Mortal Kombat: Live Tour.

“You have played it… You have seen it… Now live it!” That was the slogan of the Mortal Kombat theater production, which announced that it would feature fighters from the three games in the franchise (at that time). Because at its core, it was literally that: a martial arts show with lasers, lights, and music, where the young audience could shout at the fighters. Something like Mexican wrestling, but much less brutal and grotesque. The plot was, as you can imagine, absurd: three warriors from Earth travel to the Outworld to rescue their comrades and find an amulet that can save our planet by defeating Shao Kahn.

It had a trick, as could be expected: during the show, the actors asked the audience to buy “dragon amulets,” for sale in the theaters, to save the Earth. Apparently, many fewer were made than the actual demand, and it was a shame because at one point the fighters asked for audience interaction to join their amulets with Liu Kang’s. And if you are thinking that this pantomime possibly took place in small local theaters or shopping centers, you might be surprised to know that its first performance was, no less, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, which has a capacity of almost 6000 people. Quite something.

Later, the group split into two (to perform in two different places at the same time) toured over 200 cities, such as Cincinnati, Anaheim, or Roanoke, with a subsequent stop in Buenos Aires itself, to bring all the unnecessary violence to Argentina. The children of the time were mesmerized. The adults, as expected, not so much. It is unknown how much money they made from this work, but one can assume it was a good chunk, given that they even released an official recording on VHS. In the midst of Kombat-mania, they were not going to miss the opportunity to make some extra cash.

Little by little, the fanaticism for Mortal Kombat faded as they released video games uncontrollably, and today we find ourselves back in 1995, with new movies of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Will either of the two franchises dare to make their own theatrical version or will the fear of cringe prevent them?