Every Video Game Movie, For Your Next Bad Movie Night
For decades now, Hollywood has tried to capture that special feeling that video games give fans. So far though, no one’s really managed to make a great movie based on a video game, and the results have been less than stellar. Here’s every game movie we’ve seen so far, that has been release theatrically. Keep in mind that these are only movies that have been released in theatres and in the U.S. So anything released in Japan, like Tekken, or anywhere else isn’t being included.
The infmaous video game adaption that named our beloved heroe Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. The movie was directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, and rests at a lovely 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Double Dragon seems like a sure fit for a movie, right? Well not exactly. The film was directed by James Yukich and landed on an 8% Rotten Tomatoes score.
The first Mortal Kombat movie fared a bit better than the game movies before it, both in box office numbers and score. Paul W. S. Anderson directed the movie that has a 33% Rotten Tomatoes score, sadly a bit highter than most video game movies.
You can practically feel the campiness coming off of the first Street Fighter movie, that’s right the first. Directed by Steven E. de Souza the flick hit a 12% Rotten Tomatoes score.
The second Mortal Kombat movie completely took a step backward, and ended up much worse for it with uninspired characters and special effect. John R. Leonetti took the helm for this one, which sits at an abyssmal 3% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Resident Evil kept going with its films to moderate box office success, despite critic reception. Extinction was even the number one movie in the North American box office on its opening weekend. Russell Mulcahy took the directing reigns, while the film got a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mark Wahlberg assumed the role of the gritty New York police officer, Max Payne. The film is directed by John Moore, and with everything still didn’t fare any better than your average game adaption with a 16% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars in this adaption of the iconic shooter series. Wayward decisions like a terrible first-person shooting segment at the end, drug the adaption down. The film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak landed on a 19% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Prince of Persia looked like it might be that first video game movie to really nail it, with a talented cast and producer Jerry Bruckheimer behind it. Alas, the Mike Newell directed film just didn’t measure up. It did become the highest grossing video game movie of all time with a total worldwide gross of $335 million, but still only scored a 36% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
With the success of the Fast and Furios films, Need for Speed seemed like a sure fit for that formula. Aaron Paul even took the leading role in the movie directed by Scott Waugh. Need for Speed performed moderately well with a total gross of around $203 million, but still scored a less than stellar score of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Two of the most beloved characters in video games made it to the big screen this year. Sadly, their film outing directed by Kevin Munroe, didn’t quite make the great video game movie we’ve all been hoping for. Ratchet and Clank scores a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has only pulled in $11 million at the box office.
The latest in video game film adaptions, Warcraft, set a new recored for the highest grossing game movie of all time. Duncan Jones, the director of Moon and Source Code, took the helm on this CGI filled film based off Blizzard’s series. It performed much better overseas than in the United States, pulling in a total gross of $432 million. Unfortunately, Warcraft didnt fare very well with critics sitting at a Rotten Tomatoes score of 29%.
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Video Game Movie Adaptions
For decades now, Hollywood has tried to capture that special feeling that video games give fans. So far though, no one's really managed to make a great movie based on a video game, and the results have been less than stellar. Here's every game movie we've seen so far, that has been released theatrically. Keep in mind that these are only movies that have been released in theaters and in the U.S. So anything released in Japan, like Tekken, or anywhere else, isn't being included.
Super Mario Bros. - 1993
The infmaous video game adaption that named our beloved heroes Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. The movie was directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, and rests at a lovely 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Double Dragon - 1994
Double Dragon seems like a sure fit for a movie, right? Well not exactly. The film was directed by James Yukich and landed on an 8% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Street Fighter - 1994
You can practically feel the campiness coming off of the first Street Fighter movie,,,and yeah, we said "the first." Directed by Steven E. de Souza, the flick hit a 12% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Mortal Kombat - 1995
The first Mortal Kombat movie fared a bit better than the game movies before it, both in box office numbers and score. Paul W. S. Anderson directed the movie that has a 33% Rotten Tomatoes score, sadly a bit higher than most video game movies.
Mortal Kombat - Annihilation - 1997
The second Mortal Kombat movie completely took a step backward, and ended up much worse for it with uninspired characters and special effects. John R. Leonetti took the helm for this one, which sits at an abysmal 3% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Wing Commander - 1999
Wing Commander, the iconic space combat series, did in fact get a film. It's mostly forgettable, getting lumped in with the rest of the video game adaptions. The Chris Roberts directed movie landed on a 10% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - 2001
Angelina Jolie took the role of the iconic Lara Croft for the first time in this adaption, which would end up getting a sequel. Directed by Simon West, it received a 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within - 2001
Final Fantasy made its first foray into film with the Spirits Within, although fans were a bit disappointed by the movie's distinct lack of Final Fantasy feel. The film itself is directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and fares a bit better than most adaptions with a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Resident Evil - 2002
The first Resident Evil movie may not have been a direct representation of the game, but it had enough appeal to launch a film franchise for the series. Another game adaption directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, it scores a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life - 2003
The sequel to 2001's Tomb Raider brought Angelina Jolie back into the spotlight as Lara Croft. This time, Jan de Bont handled directing, and the film scored slightly better than its predecessor with a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes.
House of the Dead - 2003
This B-Movie horror flick didn't quite live up to the pedigree of its arcade counterpart. It's directed by Uwe Boll, who would go on to take a stab at other video game adaptions. House of the Dead was terribly received with a 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was considered one of the worst films of the year.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse - 2004
The Resident Evil film series kept things going with Apocalypse, bringing the original character Alice back again. Paul W. S. Anderson did write the screenplay, but directing duties were handled by Alexander Witt. Apocalypse scored a 21% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Alone in the Dark - 2005
Another movie directed by Uwe Boll, Alone in the Dark may be the worst recieved video game adaption ever made. Christian Slater stars as detective Edward Carnby, the main character of the games. It bombed in the box office only bringing in $10 million total, and scores a surprising 1% on Rotten Tomatoes.
DOOM - 2005
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars in this adaption of the iconic shooter series. Wayward decisions like a terrible first-person shooting segment at the end dragged the adaptation down. The film, directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, landed on a 19% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Bloodrayne - 2006
To keep with the theme of dark and gritty games getting adaptions, Bloodrayne recieved its own movie. It didn't fare any better than others however, and the Uwe Boll directed movie sits at 4% on Rotten Tomatoes
Silent Hill - 2006
Silent Hill joined Resident Evil with a film adaption in 2006, trying to bring the terror of the games to the big screen. Directed by Christophe Gans, its Rotten Tomatoes score is a 29%.
DOA: Dead or Alive - 2006
Yet another fighting game series makes its way to the big screen, with this adaption of Dead or Alive. The film was moderately successful outside of the U.S. but only pulled in $480,000 during its run here. Corey Yuen directed DOA, which rested at a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Postal - 2007
It's interesting to think about if anyone even wanted a Postal movie, but Uwe Boll delivered with one in 2007. Boll even takes a role in the movie as himself. The film took a not so great 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Resident Evil: Extinction - 2007
Resident Evil kept going with its films to moderate box office success, despite critic reception. Extinction was even the number one movie in the North American box office on its opening weekend. Russell Mulcahy took the directing reigns, while the film got a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hitman - 2007
Hitman's first movie attempt fared a bit better than its most recent one, but still was dissapointing. French director Xavier Gens took the reigns, and the movie took a 14% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale - 2008
Yet another Uwe Boll directed movie, this time based on the RPG series Dungeon Siege. Jason Statham took the lead role, but nothing could save this film from the 4% it received on Rotten Tomatoes.
Far Cry - 2008
Moving right along, we have another Uwe Boll movie, this time of Ubisoft's open world shooter series, Far Cry. The film is very loosely based on the game series, and scored a low 12% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Max Payne - 2008
Mark Wahlberg assumed the role of the gritty New York police officer, Max Payne. The film is directed by John Moore, and with everything still didn't fare any better than your average game adaptation with a 16% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - 2009
Years after the first Street Fighter film, we see another take on the series, this time focusing on Chun-Li. The director of the Doom movie, Andrzej Bartkowiak, took a stab at the series this time around. It scored even lower than Street Fighter's first film adaption however, with a 6% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - 2010
Prince of Persia looked like it might be that first video game movie to really nail it, with a talented cast and producer Jerry Bruckheimer behind it. Alas, the Mike Newell directed film just didn't measure up. Before Warcraft, it was the highest grossing video game movie of all time with a total worldwide gross of $335 million, but still only scored a 36% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Resident Evil: Afterlife - 2010
The Resident Evil film series continued its moderate success, with Paul W. S. Anderson taking the director's chair yet again for Afterlife. The film earned a worldwide gross of $296 million, scoring a 23% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Resident Evil: Retribution - 2012
Residen Evil's most recent film kept upping the ante even more. Paul W. S. Anderson took directing duties again, and it's the highest scoring film of the series with a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Silent Hill: Revelation - 2012
Silent Hill returned to the big screen, even starring Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame. It earned its $20 million budget back by grossing $53 million in the box office, but received an abyssmal score of 5% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Need for Speed - 2014
With the success of the Fast and Furious films, Need for Speed seemed like a sure fit for that formula. Aaron Paul even took the leading role in the movie directed by Scott Waugh. Need for Speed performed moderately well with a total gross of around $203 million, but still scored a less than stellar score of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hitman: Agent 47 - 2015
Hitman returns once again to the big screen, but things are even worse this time around with the Aleksander Back directed movie. It received negative reviews across the board with an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, but did make its $35 million budget back with an $82 million worldwide gross.
Ratchet & Clank - 2016
Two of the most beloved characters in video games made it to the big screen this year. Sadly, their film outing directed by Kevin Munroe didn't quite make the great video game movie we've all been hoping for. Ratchet & Clank scores a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has only pulled in $11 million at the box office.
Angry Birds - 2016
Angry Birds seemed like a bit of a strange game to adapt, but surprisingly, it's fared better than most video game movies, which of course isn't saying a whole lot. The animated film directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly has pulled in an impressive $343 million, while scoring a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Warcraft - 2016
The latest in video game film adaptions, Warcraft, set a new record for the highest grossing game movie of all time. Duncan Jones, the director of Moon and Source Code, took the helm on this CGI filled film based off Blizzard's series. It performed much better overseas than in the United States, pulling in a total gross of $432 million. Unfortunately, Warcraft didn't fare very well with critics sitting at a Rotten Tomatoes score of 29%.
About the author
Hayes Madsen
A connoisseur of all things RPG related, and always looking for the artistic expression in gaming. His love of Gundam is only matched by his love of Pizza. Playing Games Since: 1991 Favorite Genres: RPGs, JRPGs, Strategy,