Street Fighter 2 Chances Addressed By Director As Reboot Splits Critics & Audiences

EXCLUSIVE: As Street Fighter continues its opening weekend at the box office, director Kitao Sakurai talks the possibility of Street Fighter 2 and what factors would be considered in green lighting that movie.

Movies and TV shows based on video games are hardly new. In fact, both God of War and The Last of Us season 3 are currently in the works, each representing a major video game franchise, and just this year, Mortal Kombat II and Resident Evil have already hit theaters. Now, Street Fighter has joined those ranks, and its welcome has been a complicated one. Reviews of Street Fighter weren't overwhelmingly positive; currently, the movie has a 41% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, in its first few days in theaters, Street Fighter has proven itself to be considerably more popular with audiences. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, for example, is a solid 80%, and its current opening weekend box office projections actually suggest that it will break a franchise record with the best domestic box office debut for any Street Fighter movie to date. It therefore seems fair to say that, so far, Street Fighter is having a mixed reception, which makes the possibility of a sequel all the more curious.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan, director Kitao Sakurai reflected on the experience of making Street Fighter and discussed the possibility of a sequel movie—although, for now, there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer.

Kitao Sakurai: We all had such an amazing time making this movie, and the world of Street Fighter already has so much history behind it. It's 40 years. It's one of the most iconic franchises ever. It would be a shame to not continue telling the story. Obviously, we would love to do that, but we just have to see how people receive it and if fans support it. We'll see, but we would love to.

For now, at least based on Sakurai's comments, it does seem as though the future of Street Fighter 2 is in fans' hands, which means that the more positive reception from audiences compared to critics so far is a step in the right direction for those hoping to see a sequel. Ideally, that momentum will continue as the movie's opening weekend comes to an end and the current projections regarding the film's record-breaking potential for the larger franchise prove true.

Story-wise, the groundwork is also already laid for Street Fighter 2, as the Street Fighter ending clearly sets up the possibility for a sequel movie, particularly when it comes to the post-credits scene. Part of that groundwork also ties directly into Sakurai's comments on Street Fighter's larger world and history, which offer considerable opportunities for further storytelling.

That, combined with Sakurai's obvious enthusiasm about potentially revisiting this franchise in a sequel, make Street Fighter 2 feel fairly likely. However, only time will tell whether the response to the movie warrants another installment.

Street Fighter hit theaters on October 16.