Street Fighter Movie Plot Details Confirm Its Retro Roots & Release Date

Video game adaptations have a rather rocky history, but they’ve improved over the past handful of years. Television series such as The Last of Us and Fallout have garnered critical acclaim and awards consideration. On the big screen, Paramount scored a massive win with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie was one of the highest-grossing movies of 2023. Films based on video games aren’t going away any time soon (a Space Invaders movie recently took a step forward), and Paramount is hoping to make another big splash in this space with its latest production. Street Fighter, which has assembled a star-studded cast, is currently filming and just scored a release date.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Street Fighter is scheduled to open on October 16, 2026. It kick starts a new era for production company Legendary Pictures, which has entered a three-year partnership deal with Paramount. In addition to the release date, Street Fighter plot details have also been shared. The film is a period piece set in 1993, following Ryu and Ken Masters as they compete against a roster of talented fighters in the World Warrior Tournament. The official synopsis also mentions a “deadly conspiracy” behind the tournament that forces contestants “to face off against each other and the demons of their past.” Check out the movie’s game-inspired promotional artwork below:

Street Fighter Is Embracing the Franchise’s Retro Roots

Though the first Street Fighter game came out in 1987, the series didn’t truly become a pop culture phenomenon until the 1990s. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was a massive hit in arcades when it released back in 1991, and it was subsequently ported to a variety of platforms. Given that history and the significance of the ’90s to the Street Fighter brand, it isn’t surprising to see the filmmakers run with a retro aesthetic for the new movie, tapping into the nostalgia older moviegoers have for playing the early Street Fighter games.

Accuracy to the games appears to be an important element of Street Fighter. A first look at Cody Rhodes’ Guile confirms the wrestling star is sporting the character’s distinct hairdo, while Noah Centineo is suitably ripped to play Ken. These details should go a long way in setting 2026’s Street Fighter apart from the ill-received 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. That movie was widely panned, in part because it deviated too far from the source material. Time will tell how this new Street Fighter will be received, but there’s nowhere to go but up.

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David Dastmalchian’s M. Bison Comes to Life in Street Fighter Movie Fan Art

The Street Fighter plot synopsis sounds like something that could have been pulled right from one of the games. In the aforementioned Street Fighter II, the villainous M. Bison (who will be played by David Dastmalchian in the film), organizes a fighting tournament as part of his plans for world domination. Based on the teases of past demons and secrets, it’s possible M. Bison will look to uncover dark truths of the tournament’s contestants, adding a layer of personal and emotional stakes to the action. The main draw of Street Fighter will of course be the combat and cool fighting moves, but it’ll also be nice to see some substance complement the style.

Street Fighter‘s release date means it’ll hit theaters just a handful of months after Mortal Kombat II, which was just delayed to May 2026. It’ll be interesting to see which fighting game adaptation reigns supreme. The first Mortal Kombat, released in 2021, wasn’t exactly a critical darling, but it still earned high marks for staying true to the spirit of the video games and set a new record for HBO Max’s biggest film launch. The sequel introduces Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, a highly anticipated addition. Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat II should be a fun showdown, and hopefully both turn out well.