Risk

The support from Walt Disney for KiShin's new film didn't sit well with the other major film studios, especially Warner Bros. and Universal Studios. They were uneasy about KiShin, a company they were not pleased with, gaining backing from Disney.

Little did they know that Disney's higher-ups were merely toying with KiShin's ego. The executives at Disney were aware of the ambitious goals of KiShin Pictures' parent company, KiShin Rules. They assumed that Shinro Suzuki, the owner of KiShin, and other leaders within the company were likely proud individuals. As KiShin continued its global growth as a private company, Disney saw the value in establishing connections with KiShin, beyond the success of 'The Lion King' film.

Should Walt Disney perceive a potential downfall for KiShin in the future, they could leverage the established connections to their advantage.

In September 1994, Warner Bros. experienced success with films like "Arizona Dream" and "Rapa Nui," overshadowing the less noticed "Trial by Jury." Simultaneously, Universal Studios found modest success with "Timecop" and held expectations for the upcoming film "The Wild Rider."

Amidst their successes, both studios closely monitored the next venture of KiShin Pictures in collaboration with Walt Disney.

Despite KiShin Pictures having only one movie, 'Jurassic Park,' it was a massive global success. It wouldn't be surprising if KiShin decides to create sequels for 'Jurassic Park,' as each installment is likely to generate a substantial amount of revenue.

However, both the big six and Hollywood critics perceived KiShin as somewhat of a perfectionist, meticulously crafting films. Despite being established for about a year, KiShin Pictures had only produced one film, 'Jurassic Park.' This approach garnered disapproval from industry insiders, who believed that a studio of KiShin's magnitude should invest in a more prolific film output.

In the film industry, success hinges on luck and audience reception, and the prevailing sentiment was that taking risks with numerous films each year was crucial. The big six studios understood the financial gamble inherent in filmmaking, yet they embraced it as a necessary risk to thrive in the industry. Conversely, KiShin's cautious and perfectionist approach was seen as a potential hindrance, risking its standing in the industry if it continued down this path.

However, unbeknownst to them, KiShin Pictures, or Shin, was taking a financial risk with the production of 'Mortal Kombat.'

Despite the box office success of 'Mortal Kombat' in Shin's previous life with a budget of 20 million dollars, Shin opted to increase the budget for improved CGI, script enhancements, and better performances in the current iteration.

Shin understood that merely replicating the previous 'Mortal Kombat' film, including its scripts, cast performances, and relatively tame CGI with reduced violence, would likely yield similar box office results as in his previous life. However, Shin was determined to avoid such a scenario.

Shin aimed to enhance the CGI, character scripts, and performances in the 'Mortal Kombat' film, refusing to impose limits on the level of violence. Only by comprehensively elevating the film's overall quality did Shin envision the possibility of a different box office outcome.

Despite the increased risk, Shin remained uncertain about the success of this approach. He wasn't sure whether it would match the box office of the previous 'Mortal Kombat' film or potentially surpass it, or if it might even face failure due to KiShin's decision not to tone down the violence. This decision also entailed age restrictions for film screenings, aligning with Shin's ambition to surpass the box office performance of 'Mortal Kombat' in his previous life.

Shin didn't mind the possibility of failure; he had sufficient funds to support such an endeavor, and the prospect of taking risks excited him.

Initially concerned about how Disney would receive a film with unabated violence like 'Mortal Kombat,' Shin was surprised to find that the 1994 Walt Disney was not as soft as the future Walt Disney from Shin's previous life.

In Hollywood, critics were already lambasting the violence and dark themes in the successful 1994 Disney animated film 'The Lion King,' and despite some gruesome scenes that even American audiences found intense, Disney disregarded the criticism.

For Disney, as long as profits rolled in, criticism was a normal companion to success.

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With 'Mortal Kombat' jointly marketed by KiShin and Disney, KiShin had already produced toys featuring characters from the film. Some video game fans in Japan were already aware of KiShin's KS1 video game, 'Mortal Kombat,' creating an atmosphere of anticipation.

In Japan, under the title 'Mortal Kombat' was Shinken Kōrin Densetsu. While this alternative name was alao recognized locally, the prominence of the 'Mortal Kombat' title meant that foreigners visiting Japan often remembered it more.

KiShin's adaptation of a video game into a film piqued the interest of these visitors, prompting them to share the information with friends and family. The concept of a video game being adapted into a film intrigued many, and within a few weeks, news of KiShin's venture became somewhat well-known, especially within the video game community.

Even rivals in the video game sector, Tora and Suzuki, became aware of KiShin's endeavor and were curious about the outcome of the film adaptation.

Itori Tanaka, having played 'Mortal Kombat' in KS1, observed the opening story intro, noting the violence and impressive special effects. He couldn't shake the feeling that these scenes might be borrowed from KiShin Pictures' upcoming film, 'Moral Kombat.' If so, Tanaka thought, KiShin could likely reap profits from the film, given the quality of the scenes in the video game's opening story intro.

Meanwhile, the Suzuki Group successfully acquired Image Comics for a substantial amount. Soon after, Suzuki Pictures Entertainment announced its intention to bring Image Comics characters to the big screen.

This move mirrored a previous strategy employed by KiShin Pictures. The prospect of comics being adapted for the cinema excited fans within the comic book community.

Some fans harbored doubts about whether these film studios, especially Japanese companies, could truly meet the expectations of comic fans when it came to adapting comic book material into films.