Mortal Kombat producer says the studio "didn't know what it had" with the first movie, which is why "we were in that fighting pit 75% of the time"

Mortal Kombat producer Todd Garner has revealed that the powers-that-be didn't realize how popular the video game adaptation would become.

"Quite frankly, in the first movie, the studio didn't know what they had," Garner said in a candid admission during a virtual press conference attended by GamesRadar+ of the 2021 original. "So we were in that fighting pit for like 75% of the movie, just because of the budget."

As you may recall, the first Mortal Kombat certainly brought the guts and gore the series is known for, but situated most of the fights in bland, rocky environments – a far cry from the rich, varied stages on consoles.

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For Mortal Kombat 2, however, the mission statement was clear. As Garner explains, "This time, we really wanted to make sure that we went to all the different realms that people know."

Despite being held back by budget limitations, Mortal Kombat proved to be one of the first major post-COVID streaming-at-home hits, becoming the most-watched HBO Max original movie in 2021, surpassing the likes of Godzilla vs. Kong and Zack Snyder's Justice League.

The sequel's expanded money pit – instead of a fighting pit – can be seen across the new kombatants joining the fray, including Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, and Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn.

Mortal Kombat 2 hits cinemas on May 8.

Need to know about what else is making the leap from consoles to cinemas? Get over here! These are the upcoming video game movies you need to know about.