Street Fighter first reactions split ahead of cinema opening

First social media reactions to Paramount Pictures' Street Fighter are out, and they do not agree.

The early posts landed after the film's Los Angeles premiere on Monday, ahead of its opening in theatres on 16 Oct, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The split was immediate. Some viewers cheered it. Others shrugged.

Paramount held a series of screenings this week and allowed attendees to share brief social media reactions, rather than full reviews, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Full critics' reviews were due to drop on 14 Oct. The film arrives in cinemas on 16 Oct.

The film stars Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters and Callina Liang as Chun-Li. It was directed by Kitao Sakurai from a script by Dalan Musson and Gary Dauberman, and is the latest big-screen adaptation of Capcom's video game, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

The story is set in 1993. Ryu and Ken Masters are recruited to enter the World Warrior Tournament.

Reaction so far is mixed, with early write-ups describing a sharp divide among first viewers. Some critics called it "a silly, fun, and fearless good time," GamesRadar reported. Others said the film "falls flat," according to round-ups of the posts published on 13 Oct by Yahoo and GamesRadar.

The central set-up follows estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters, who are thrown back into combat by Chun-Li, according to the film's official site. The production was filmed for IMAX, meaning it was shot to fill the taller, wider giant screens as well as regular cinemas, Legendary reported. Paramount Pictures is the distributor.

Koji and Centineo prepared with a gruelling six-week training block for the fight scenes, Yahoo reported in August. The film is set for an exclusive run in theatres from 16 Oct 2026.

For fans, this means the first clues are loud but partial. Short social posts give a temperature check. The fuller picture comes with the reviews.