Street Fighter Wins as You Can See Everything Stuns: 10 Box Office Takeaways From 16 to 18 October

By the Filmoria News Desk

Street Fighter opened at No. 1 in North America on 16 to 18 October 2026 with an estimated $31 million, and about $51 million worldwide, the biggest start any live-action Street Fighter film has managed but roughly 19% behind Mortal Kombat II. The bigger story sat at No. 2: A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything took around $15 million from just 855 cinemas, the second-best opening ever for a non-music documentary. Street Fighter is in UK cinemas now, and You Can See Everything is reported to reach UK and Irish cinemas on 20 November 2026.

UK and Ireland box office top 10, 9 to 11 October 2026

Source: Comscore, via the Film Distributors’ Association UK and Ireland top 15 and 25th Frame. *FDA totals run to Monday 12 October 2026. “Not disclosed” means the figure was not in the published chart we could verify.

This is a ranked list of the ten biggest takeaways from the North American box office weekend of 16 to 18 October 2026, with the latest confirmed UK and Ireland chart alongside it.

We ordered the list by how much each story says about where the business is heading: the No. 1 film and the record-level documentary come first, then the openers and holdovers by weekend gross, and finally the UK picture. Every dollar figure is a Sunday studio estimate as reported by Deadline, Variety, TheWrap and IndieWire, so expect small changes when Monday’s actuals arrive.

1. Street Fighter (2026, Paramount and Legendary)

What makes it stand out: It won the weekend comfortably, but it won it at the low end of what Paramount wanted.

Key data: About $31 million from 3,575 North American cinemas, $13 million on Friday including $4 million in Thursday previews, around $20 million overseas for a $51 million global start, a B- CinemaScore and a reported net cost of about $82 million.

Why it matters: It’s the first release under Paramount’s global distribution deal with Legendary, and Deadline framed it as the first real test of the newly combined Paramount and Warner Bros. era.

Let’s be fair to it first. Thirty-one million dollars is a perfectly respectable number for a video game film in October, and nothing else on the chart came within half of it. Kitao Sakurai’s film, co-produced by Capcom, sets the story in 1993 and sends estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) into the World Warrior Tournament after Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them. Around them is a cast built for a poster: Jason Momoa as Blanka, Roman Reigns as Akuma, Cody Rhodes as Guile.

The problem is the expectations. Paramount had reportedly been looking for a debut in the mid-$30 millions, and Deadline’s pre-weekend tracking pointed to something close to $70 million worldwide. It got $51 million. BoxOfficePro’s forecast range of $25 million to $35 million turned out to be about right, which tells you the trade tracking wasn’t the issue so much as the studio’s hopes.

Reviews didn’t help. The film sits at around 42% with Rotten Tomatoes critics, though audiences were kinder before release, scoring it in the low 80s. The B- CinemaScore is the number to watch, because it’s the one that hints at legs. A B- for a fan-driven action film usually means a steep second weekend, and Street Fighter has to share premium screens with plenty of autumn competition. The net cost is estimated at $82 million (some listings put the gross budget nearer $100 million to $120 million), so it needs a long run overseas to turn a profit.

2. You Can See Everything (2026, A24)

What makes it stand out: A three-hour documentary about Elizabeth Holmes opened to roughly double its forecast from fewer than 900 cinemas.

Key data: About $15 million from 855 locations, a per-site average of roughly $17,543, $1.75 million in Thursday previews, more than 2,000 sold-out screenings and a reported production cost of about $7 million.

Why it matters: It’s the second-biggest opening ever for a non-music documentary, behind only Fahrenheit 9/11’s $23.9 million in 2004.

This was meant to be a nice little platform story. Pre-weekend projections had You Can See Everything at $7 million to $8 million, and even that looked bold for a documentary running around 174 minutes. Instead it took about $5.5 million on Friday alone and finished the weekend at $15 million.

The records stack up quickly. TheWrap says it’s the biggest documentary opening of any kind since One Direction: This Is Us in 2013. The Hollywood Reporter points out that no film had opened this big from fewer than 1,000 locations since Borat in 2006. And A24 reported more than 2,000 sell-outs by Sunday morning, which is a stat you normally hear about Marvel films, not a nonfiction feature.

The economics are what will make rival studios sit up. Variety reports that A24 made the film in secret over about three years for roughly $7 million. It has more than doubled that in three days, before going wide. Movie listings point to a nationwide expansion from 23 October, and Variety says it will widen over the coming weeks. If the per-site average holds up even halfway as it adds cinemas, the film is on course for one of the biggest documentary runs in years.

Why did it work? The Nathan Fielder connection brought in a younger, very online crowd, and Elizabeth Holmes remains one of the most-discussed figures of the last decade. Scarcity helped too. Fewer screens meant packed rooms, and packed rooms create the kind of social media buzz money can’t buy.

3. Street Fighter vs Mortal Kombat II (2026, Paramount vs Warner Bros.)

What makes it stand out: The obvious comparison for Street Fighter is the other big fighting-game franchise, and on that measure it lost.

Key data: Mortal Kombat II opened to $38.5 million domestically earlier in 2026, with $5.2 million in Thursday previews against Street Fighter’s $4 million, so Street Fighter landed about 19% lower.

Why it matters: The two films are effectively the test of whether the fighting-game genre can support a franchise on the big screen.

Deadline made the comparison directly: Street Fighter’s $31 million was 19% off Mortal Kombat II’s $38.5 million. The audience scores tell a similar story. The 2021 Mortal Kombat earned a B+ CinemaScore, Mortal Kombat II got a B, and Street Fighter came in at B-.

There’s one wrinkle that makes it closer than it looks. Deadline noted that Mortal Kombat II under-delivered overseas relative to its home market. Street Fighter has long been the bigger name in Asia and Latin America, so it has a real shot at evening the score internationally across the full run.

There’s a nice irony in the timing as well. Mortal Kombat is a Warner Bros. property, and since Skydance completed its Warner Bros. Discovery takeover on 6 October 2026, both fighting-game franchises now sit under the same corporate roof. Whichever film ends up bigger, the parent company gets the cheque.

GameSpot also reminded readers that Sonic the Hedgehog made only $3 million on its first day and still turned into a hit. Opening figures are not the end of the story for these films, especially with plenty of the autumn still to play.

4. Street Fighter vs Its Own Past (1994, 2009 and 2026)

What makes it stand out: Whatever the industry thinks of $31 million, it’s by far the best opening the series has ever had in cinemas.

Key data: The 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme film opened to $9,508,030, and 2009’s Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li opened to just $4,721,110.

Why it matters: Capcom has spent three decades trying to get a film version right, and this is the first one that looks like a commercial base to build on.

Screen Rant notes that this is only the third live-action Street Fighter film, after the 1994 movie and the 2009 flop. Neither earlier attempt left much of a legacy beyond cult camp value. The 1994 film did take about 28% of its total gross on opening weekend, according to The Numbers, which is a reminder that front-loaded runs aren’t a new problem for this brand.

The 2026 version more than triples the 1994 opening in raw dollars. Adjust for inflation and the gap narrows a lot, but it’s still clearly ahead. And unlike the earlier films, this one arrived with a modern franchise plan. Legendary’s track record with Godzilla and Kong shows it knows how to grow a property overseas, and Capcom’s involvement as co-producer was meant to keep fans on side.

Fans did show up, at least early. Previews were solid and the audience score held up better than the critics’ number. The question for Paramount and Legendary now is whether that core turnout can carry a sequel, or whether this is a one-and-done like its predecessors.

5. Whalefall (2026, 20th Century Studios)

What makes it stand out: Disney’s mid-budget survival thriller sank well below even the cautious forecasts.

Key data: About $8 million on opening weekend against a reported $60 million budget, after only around $900,000 in previews from 3,065 locations; forecasts had pointed to $10 million to $15 million.

Why it matters: It’s another sign that original, mid-budget studio films without a recognisable brand are having a very hard time in 2026.

Deadline didn’t soften it, calling the result a bellyflop. Brian Duffield’s film stars Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin and Elisabeth Shue, and on paper it had a reasonable hook. But the preview number was a warning. Making under $1 million from more than 3,000 locations means very few people were turning up on Thursday night, and the weekend never recovered.

What makes it sting is the comparison right next to it on the chart. A24 spent around $7 million on You Can See Everything and played in under a thousand cinemas. Whalefall cost something like eight times as much, was in more than three times as many cinemas and still made roughly half as much. That’s the sort of side-by-side that ends up in board presentations.

For UK audiences, Whalefall opened here at the same time, and Pearl and Dean’s forecast of £750,000 to £1.25 million was modest from the start. We’ll find out on Tuesday how close it got. A fast move to Disney+ looks likely given these numbers, but no streaming date has been announced.

6. Other Mommy (2026, Universal)

What makes it stand out: Last weekend’s No. 1 lost about 71% of its audience in its second weekend, which is what a D+ CinemaScore usually looks like at the box office.

Key data: About $7.85 million in its second weekend, down from a $27.5 million debut from 3,365 cinemas and a $45.2 million global opening.

Why it matters: It proves again that a horror film can open on marketing alone but can’t keep going without word of mouth.

We flagged the risk a week ago in our Other Mommy and The Social Reckoning box office takeaways. Jessica Chastain’s horror film opened big on marketing, but audiences hated it, handing it a D+ CinemaScore, one of the worst grades a wide release can get.

A drop of about 71% puts it down at third place, behind a documentary playing in roughly a quarter as many cinemas. Horror tends to fall hard in its second weekend anyway, but a slide above 70% is the kind usually seen when the audience has stopped recommending a film.

The silver lining for Universal is that horror films are cheap, and the global opening of $45.2 million was strong. Other Mommy should still be profitable once all markets and home release are counted. It just won’t be the breakout the opening weekend suggested. In the UK, where it opened at No. 1, the drop on its second weekend will be one to watch when Tuesday’s figures come in.

7. Resident Evil (2026, Sony Pictures)

What makes it stand out: Zach Cregger’s reboot is still pulling in strong overseas numbers several weeks into its run.

Key data: $5.5 million in seventh place domestically for a $148.5 million North American total, plus $17.1 million internationally this weekend for $361 million worldwide.

Why it matters: It’s the clearest 2026 example of a Capcom adaptation working, and it puts Street Fighter’s start in perspective.

Resident Evil is the other Capcom film on this chart, and it’s the one that has already done what Street Fighter wants to do. Deadline credited Cregger with a record when it reached No. 1 globally earlier in October, and it has kept earning since. International audiences are doing most of the lifting now: $17.1 million overseas this weekend against $5.5 million at home.

In the UK it has been a steady performer too. The latest Comscore chart had it at fourth place on 9 to 11 October with £780,925, taking its total to £12,710,018 by Monday 12 October.

For Capcom, these two films together are a good October. Resident Evil shows the publisher’s characters can carry a big global hit, and Street Fighter gives it a second franchise with some theatrical life. If the studios keep finding directors like Cregger, who bring a clear point of view instead of a fan-service checklist, the Capcom film slate could become a real long-term business.

8. Verity (2026, Sony Pictures in the UK)

What makes it stand out: The Colleen Hoover thriller that beat Tom Cruise’s Digger two weeks ago is holding up well and has passed $66 million domestically.

Key data: $6.21 million this weekend for a domestic total of just over $66 million, plus $11.4 million internationally for a $17.6 million worldwide weekend.

Why it matters: It’s turning into one of autumn’s steadiest earners, and it’s driven by an audience studios often underestimate.

Verity opened to $32.6 million on 2 to 4 October, which we covered in our Digger and Verity box office takeaways. Two weekends later, it’s still bringing in more than $6 million at home and outperforming its domestic total overseas on a weekend basis. That balance is unusual for an adaptation of an American bestseller, and it shows the reach of the BookTok audience.

The UK has been particularly strong. Verity’s £1,936,358 second weekend on 9 to 11 October (down 43%) put it within a whisker of No. 1, and the FDA’s chart had it at £7,302,828 by Monday 12 October. It’s now set to be one of the year’s biggest book-to-screen hits in British cinemas.

A slow, steady run like this is worth more to a studio than a huge opening followed by a collapse. Compare Verity’s hold with Other Mommy’s drop and you get a good lesson in how much word of mouth is worth.

9. Other Mommy vs Verity (UK and Ireland, 9 to 11 October 2026)

What makes it stand out: The most recent confirmed UK chart was a photo finish, with only £33,263 separating first from second.

Key data: Other Mommy took £1,969,621 on its opening weekend, and Verity took £1,936,358 in its second.

Why it matters: It shows UK audiences responding to the same films as the US, but with a different order of enthusiasm.

In the US, Other Mommy beat Verity by more than double. In the UK it won by under 2%. That gap tells you something about British audiences: they treated Verity as an event, and they didn’t quite buy into Other Mommy the same way. Given the D+ CinemaScore in the US, Universal will be bracing for a sharp fall in the UK too.

The rest of the UK top 10 was crowded. Paramount’s Heart of the Beast made £815,452 for a total of £5,440,864, The Social Reckoning opened in fifth with £621,262, and Tom Cruise’s Digger dropped to ninth on £489,167. Our Social Reckoning review explains why that one struggled, and the weak UK start matched its $5.5 million US flop.

Street Fighter and Whalefall both join this race in the next set of figures. On the US evidence, Street Fighter should comfortably top the UK chart for 16 to 18 October, though Verity’s staying power makes it the film to beat for second place.

10. The UK and Ireland Market Passes £1bn (2026, All Distributors)

What makes it stand out: The UK and Ireland box office has passed £1 billion for 2026, and it’s running ahead of each of the previous three post-pandemic years.

Key data: The Film Distributors’ Association announced the milestone in October 2026, saying the market is running ahead of 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Why it matters: With Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three still to come in December, 2026 is shaping up as the strongest UK year since the pandemic.

It’s easy to get lost in the weekly winners and losers, so this is the number that puts them in context. British cinemas are having a good year. Every film in this list contributes to that total, from Resident Evil’s £12.7 million to the small documentary that hasn’t even opened here yet.

The calendar looks even better from here. Avengers: Doomsday opens in UK cinemas on 16 December, two days before the US, and Dune: Part Three follows on 18 December. BFI IMAX has already sold out its 70mm opening weekend for Dune. We’ve covered both in our Avengers: Doomsday guide and Dune: Part Three guide.

Before then, You Can See Everything is reported for UK release on 20 November. If even a fraction of its US momentum carries over, it could become one of the biggest documentaries British cinemas have seen in years. It’s worth keeping an eye on how many screens UK exhibitors give it, because the US run showed that scarcity can be a selling point.

What This Weekend Tells Us

Street Fighter won the weekend and did enough to suggest a franchise, but it fell short of Mortal Kombat II and of Paramount’s own hopes. The weekend belonged to a $7 million documentary playing in 855 cinemas, a film that turned scarcity and curiosity into a $15 million opening. Whalefall and Other Mommy show the other side: an original film nobody turned up for, and a horror film people turned up for and then warned their friends about. In the UK, Tuesday’s Comscore numbers will tell us whether Street Fighter has knocked Other Mommy and Verity off the top, and we’ll update the picture next weekend.

Sources: Deadline, Variety, TheWrap, IndieWire, Film Distributors’ Association (Comscore data), The Numbers.

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