Street Fighter has opened at the top of the box office, giving a major theatrical showcase to WWE stars Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes as well as New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Hirooki Goto. The video game adaptation, which arrived in theaters on October 16, generated $51.1 million worldwide during its opening weekend.
The film brought in $31 million domestically and added $20.1 million internationally. Its first Friday accounted for $13 million in domestic ticket sales, establishing an early foundation for a weekend-leading performance.
For pro wrestling fans, the result is notable not simply because Street Fighter is a high-profile genre release, but because its ensemble includes performers from two of wrestling’s biggest global promotions. Reigns plays Akuma, Rhodes portrays Guile, and Goto appears as E. Honda. Their roles place recognizable wrestling names inside one of gaming’s longest-running and most identifiable fighting franchises.
Street Fighter Opens at No. 1
A $51.1 million global debut puts Street Fighter in a strong position out of the gate. The domestic total of $31 million made up the majority of the opening-weekend performance, while the additional $20.1 million from international markets demonstrated interest beyond North America.
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The movie’s $13 million Friday launch gave it momentum heading into the rest of the weekend. Opening at the top of the box office is an immediate commercial victory for a film carrying the expectations that come with adapting a major video game property.
The franchise has remained a fixture of competitive gaming and popular culture for decades, built around its collection of fighters, distinct national identities, rivalries and tournament-based combat. That foundation naturally offers a path for performers with combat-sports and wrestling backgrounds, while also giving audiences a cast assembled around larger-than-life characters.
Reigns, Rhodes and Goto each enter the project from very different points in their wrestling careers, but their involvement provides an unusual crossover between professional wrestling and a movie centered on elite fighters. The movie’s early ticket-sales performance means that crossover is being introduced to a sizable theatrical audience immediately.
Roman Reigns Takes on Akuma
Roman Reigns plays Akuma, one of the most intimidating and iconic figures associated with the Street Fighter universe. Akuma’s presence has long been tied to overwhelming power and a fearsome reputation, making the character an especially prominent assignment for Reigns in a video game adaptation.
Reigns has built his WWE identity around a commanding, imposing presentation. That aura has helped make the casting an attention-grabbing fit on paper, even as a screen performance demands a different set of tools than a wrestling arena. In wrestling, a performer has the benefit of long-form character development, live audience reactions and recurring weekly appearances. A feature film instead requires the actor to establish the character inside a single contained story.
Street Fighter gives Reigns a major platform for that challenge. A worldwide opening above $50 million ensures that Akuma’s cinematic portrayal has arrived with substantial commercial visibility, regardless of the differing responses from critics and ticket buyers.
Cody Rhodes Plays Guile
Cody Rhodes appears as Guile, another central name from the fighting-game series. Guile is among the franchise’s most recognizable combatants, and Rhodes takes on a role that comes with particularly clear audience expectations because of the character’s history and profile.
Rhodes has become one of WWE’s most prominent stars, with an image that has been shaped by perseverance, ambition and high-stakes championship pursuits. Those qualities have given him an established connection with a broad wrestling audience. His casting as Guile extends that visibility into a different entertainment space while keeping him within a story driven by conflict, competitive spirit and physical confrontation.
The role also gives Rhodes an opportunity to meet fans who know Guile primarily through the games rather than through wrestling. For viewers already familiar with Rhodes, the movie offers a chance to see how his on-screen persona translates into a character from a separate and beloved franchise. For those who come to the film through gaming, it may serve as an introduction to one of WWE’s headline performers.
Hirooki Goto Brings NJPW Representation
Hirooki Goto rounds out the wrestling presence in the cast as E. Honda. Goto’s inclusion makes the film a rare mainstream project featuring active connections to both WWE and NJPW, two promotions with distinct histories, audiences and styles.
Goto is known to wrestling viewers for his powerful in-ring approach and his long association with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Playing E. Honda gives him the opportunity to represent a character familiar to generations of gamers, one whose place in the franchise has made him instantly recognizable among the wider roster of fighters.
His casting is also meaningful from an international perspective. While the domestic box-office figure led the way in the film’s opening, Street Fighter also collected $20.1 million outside the United States. The presence of a prominent NJPW performer reinforces the international dimension of the project, both in the cast itself and in the global audience the franchise has developed over time.
A Tournament Story With a Darker Conflict
The film centers on estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters, who are pulled back into combat after Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. The tournament serves as the setting for a brutal battle among fighters, but the story moves beyond the competition itself.
As the conflict unfolds, Ryu and Ken uncover a dangerous conspiracy. The threat forces the two fighters to confront not only one another, but also unresolved issues connected to their own pasts. That structure combines the franchise’s expected tournament action with a more personal conflict between its leading characters.
For Reigns, Rhodes and Goto, the world of the movie is particularly suited to performers accustomed to presenting physical stakes. Professional wrestling and fighting games are not identical forms of entertainment, but both depend on clear character identities, intense rivalries and the ability to make a confrontation feel meaningful before a decisive clash takes place. Street Fighter is built around those same dramatic ingredients.
Critics and Audiences Have Responded Differently
The early reaction to the movie shows a notable divide between critical and audience response. Street Fighter currently has a 41% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while its popcorn rating stands at 79%.
That gap does not change the opening-weekend outcome: the film led the box office and surpassed $50 million worldwide. Still, it provides important context as the release heads beyond its opening frame. Critical reaction and audience enthusiasm can each influence a movie’s longer theatrical run, particularly for a franchise film seeking to attract both dedicated fans and casual viewers.
The stronger popcorn rating suggests that a significant portion of audience members have responded more favorably than critics. Whether that translates into sustained box-office performance will become clearer as the film moves through the coming weeks. At this stage, the confirmed result is a first-place opening supported by $31 million domestically and $20.1 million internationally.
A Significant Crossover Moment for Wrestling
Wrestlers appearing in films is nothing new, but Street Fighter represents a distinct kind of crossover. It places Reigns, Rhodes and Goto inside an established gaming property rather than simply building a film around their wrestling identities. Each performer is tasked with bringing a well-known fictional fighter to life, inviting comparisons not only to their own wrestling work but also to decades of fan attachment to the source material.
The project also arrives at a time when wrestling personalities are increasingly visible across entertainment. A theatrical box-office leader featuring major WWE stars and an NJPW name is a meaningful example of how far that visibility can extend. The cast makeup creates a bridge between promotions while placing wrestling talent before viewers who may not otherwise follow weekly wrestling programming.
For WWE fans, Reigns as Akuma and Rhodes as Guile provide two especially high-profile reasons to watch. For NJPW followers, Goto’s role as E. Honda provides an additional point of interest. For followers of the game series, the central question will remain how the movie’s actors and story honor the fighters they recognize.
Its commercial start has already delivered one clear answer about interest: Street Fighter has connected strongly enough with moviegoers to claim the top spot in its debut weekend. With $51.1 million collected worldwide following its October 16 release, the adaptation has begun its theatrical run with a substantial win.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.