Street Fighter (2026): cast, story, release date and box office

Street Fighter (2026) is a martial arts action film based on the Capcom video game series. Directed by Kitao Sakurai and written by Dalan Musson, Gary Dauberman, and T. J. Fixman, it is the third live-action feature based on the franchise. The film follows Chun-Li, an undercover Interpol agent, who recruits fighters Ryu and Ken Masters to participate in a tournament organized by dictator M. Bison. In 1987, during the inaugural World Warrior event, Ryu defeats Sagat with Dark Hadou, which triggers Akuma to kill Gouken, Ryu's teacher. This event drives a rift between Ryu and his brother Ken, who then disappears from the martial arts world.

Six years later, M. Bison holds a second World Warrior tournament in Metrolao City to lure Ryu out of hiding. Chun-Li gathers Ryu, Ken, and fighters from various regions across the globe. Ryu initially declines to enter, but Akuma threatens to destroy the tournament's winner unless Ryu participates. Fearing Ken will win, Ryu travels to Metrolao to dissuade him, but Ken refuses to listen. Ryu defeats E. Honda steps into the tournament in place of the absent fighter. On the night prior to the match, the fighters fight in a bar, are subdued by Bison's troops, and transported to his spire.

During the tournament, Vega defeats Guile, and Ken defeats boxer Balrog. Bison extends an invitation to Ryu at the spire, proposing a role within his growing empire. Ryu declines the offer, prompting Bison to compel him into a fight against Blanka inside prison, powered by a machine that drains his strength. Ryu launches a Hadou-than that shatters the prison walls and triggers a meltdown in the extraction machine, freeing Blanka. Chun-Li informs Ken prior to his next bout that Bison has devised a scheme targeting Ryu. Following his victory over Dhalsim in the semifinals, Ken leaves the tournament to save his brother, only for both to be taken captive. Upon waking, Ken discovers Ryu bound to the device designed to extract his fighting energy. While Bison initiates the device, Blanka bursts in and releases Ryu from the apparatus. Chun-Li meets Bison in his office, initiating a direct confrontation. Bison dispatches Vega and his guard Juli to battle Chun-Li, yet she overpowers both before being knocked out by his Psycho Crusher.

Ryu and Ken reunite and argue over their estrangement. Ryu confesses his envy of Ken's upbeat attitude and deliberately throws away Ken's invitation to the inaugural event. Their rivalry escalates until Ryu lands a Hadouken and wins the match against Ken.

The film was released in the United States on October 16, 2026, by Paramount Pictures in IMAX. It was originally scheduled for March 20, 2026, by Sony Pictures Releasing, but was removed from that schedule after Legendary's deal with Sony expired in November 2024. Paramount acquired distribution rights in August 2025 and released the film in September 2026.

The film had a budget of $82 million. As of October 17, 2026, its worldwide box office gross was $30 million. Rotten Tomatoes shows that 42 percent of 92 critic evaluations are favorable, averaging 4.9 out of 10. The site's summary states that the newest Street Fighter honors its roots and boasts bold visuals, yet flawed narrative and childish comedy result in a weak video game adaptation. Metacritic gives it 44 points, marking it as mixed or average.

The film is distributed by Paramount Pictures and produced by Legendary Pictures and Capcom. It is not listed on any streaming services. Availability varies by country.

The film was developed after Legendary Entertainment acquired the rights to the Street Fighter franchise in April 2023. Kitao Sakurai was confirmed as director in February 2025. The brothers Danny and Michael Philippou were initially in talks to direct but dropped out to work on Bring Her Back (2025).

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Where to watch

Street Fighter is in US theaters now. It is not listed on a major streaming service in our records yet. Availability changes and differs by country, so check the service before you subscribe. The film box at the top of this guide links to every streaming, rental and purchase option.