The new Mortal Kombat scored a flawless victory on HBO Max. Releasing both in theaters and on the streaming service last year, Mortal Kombat was a part of WarnerMedia's overall plan to give every one of their major movie releases a day-and-date release in 2021. From Business Insider, the viewership numbers for the year have all been compiled into one list, and Mortal Kombat is named as the most-streamed title of them for its opening weekend with 3.8 million households streaming the film.

These viewership numbers come from SambaTV and they account for households watching at least five minutes of the film in its first four days of release. The runner-up to Mortal Kombat was the anticipated crossover flick Godzilla vs. Kong with 3.6 million viewers. The recent release of the new sequel The Matrix Resurrections pulled in much lower numbers with 2.8 million households watching over that same period of time, though it should be noted that more filmgoers have been venturing out to see movies on the big screen as 2021 progressed.

It's still unclear if there will be a sequel to Mortal Kombat as a sequel has not been officially announced. The door is open for the story to continue as Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim has said he's contracted to play the role in several movies, should the franchise move on. Director Simon McQuoid has also said he's open to hopping back into the director's chair for Mortal Kombat 2 but that the decision isn't up to him, suggesting that it's up to the fans to make that happen.

"Sequels are a bit tricky because you can't totally ignore them, because that wouldn't be a smart move, but none of us used the 's-word.' We'd never talk about it in any depth whatsoever because we feel like we have to put all our energy into this film," McQuoid has said of Mortal Kombat 2. "That being said, if the fans want another one, that's not for us to decide; that's for the fans to decide. Then, we need a couple of joiner pieces that we know can lead us somewhere because there's a treasure trove of stuff that's just sitting there."

The first film feels like it serves to set up something bigger, so it'd be a shame for the story not to continue. If the sequel never happens, then fans will also have to go without seeing the popular character Johnny Cage make it into the tournament. Cage did not appear in the first film though his introduction in a possible sequel was teased. No one has yet been cast in that role without the sequel officially happening, but there's been a lot of fan interest in seeing WWE's The Miz taking on the role.

Mortal Kombat is directed by Simon McQuoid and written by the team of Greg Russo and Dave Callaham. If you want to check out the film, it is currently streaming on HBO Max. Time will tell if the sequel ever happens, but the more the original film is streamed, the higher the chances for a follow-up film.