Street Fighter flops

Pop culture · Heat 1.2 / 10 · 3 shows · 40m airtime

Street Fighter opened in theaters on October 16 to $31 million domestic and $51 million globally against a budget of about $80 million, short of projections near $70 million. Tracking had pointed higher: NRG put the weekend at $43 million while Paramount projected the mid-30s. The film drew a 45 percent critic score and an 82 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The discussion has settled on the gap between the opening and those projections, with the box office figures the established fact and the path from here still open.

How 3 podcasts covered it

1. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-16 (18:43 to 20:58)
   Reads the Street Fighter score split
   Notes the new Street Fighter film opened the previous night and reads out its Rotten Tomatoes split, 45 percent from critics against 82 percent from audiences, then sets it beside the 1994 version's matching 20 and 20. Mostly banter about Guile.
   New angle: The new Street Fighter film opened to a 45 percent critic score and an 82 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
2. The Town with Matthew Belloni, 2026-10-16 (33:10 to 38:33)
   Sets box office lines and takes unders
   Box office predictions segment ahead of the weekend: sets lines for Street Fighter, Whalefall and You Can See Everything and takes unders on the first two. Adds the tracking split - NRG at $43 million against Paramount's mid-30s - and the Legendary-Capcom financing behind Street Fighter.
   New angle: NRG tracked Street Fighter at $43 million for the weekend while Paramount projected the mid-30s.
3. Pop Culture Crisis, 2026-10-20 (49:19 to 1:08:56)
   Compares the opening to Mortal Kombat 2
   Reads the opening numbers against Mortal Kombat 2 and the walkout reports, then spends most of the segment on the fights, the humor and fidelity to the games. The box office comparison is the substance; the rest is review debate.
   New angle: Street Fighter opened to $31 million domestic and $51 million globally, short of $70 million projections.
4. Pop Culture Crisis, 2026-10-20 (1:08:40 to 1:21:41)
   Argues critics are hypocritical about fan service
   Spends thirteen minutes on the critical reception rather than the box office: Kenneth Shepherd's article on the film's male-gaze fan service, and a long argument that the critics are hypocritical about male versus female fan service. Reaction and opinion, staying inside the opening-weekend story.