The upcoming Mortal Kombat film has been delayed until April 2021, after initially being slated for a January release.

The movie, directed by Simon McQuoid, is a reboot of the original Mortal Kombat series based on the legendary computer game – following the commercial failure of the previous film, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Warner Brothers are releasing it simultaneously on HBO Max and in cinemas.

This is part of a wider effort to release films both to cinemas and for home release. “The hybrid model was created as a strategic response to the impact of the ongoing global pandemic, particularly in the US,” Warner Bros explained in a statement.

The model will see a one month period of the film appearing on HBO Max, after which it will leave and be available only in cinemas. The impact of this decision has been widely criticised, with cinema chain Odeon reportedly engaging in “urgent talks” with Warner Brothers. Cinemas have struggled to stay afloat during the Coronavirus pandemic, and feel this decision puts them in further danger.

Christopher Nolan went on to describe the move as “very, very messy”.

Other films due to be released in this dual-model format include Dune, The Suicide Squad, and Matrix 4. Denis Villeneuve has hit out at Warner Bros for shifting the release of Dune, accusing them of “killing the franchise”.

Todd Garner, the film producer for Mortal Kombat, has promised a trailer for the movie will be released ‘in the new year’. He also apologised to fans for the delay when he shared the new poster.

Trailer in the new year. Sorry it took so long to get this out. pic.twitter.com/Jku86FYKo2

— Todd Garner (@Todd_Garner) December 14, 2020

Last year it was also confirmed that the film would receive an R rating and show the iconic Fatalities feature “on the big screen”.

Since it's already been stated by other members of the team, I'm gonna put this one to bed. MK WILL be R-Rated and for the first time EVER, FATALITIES will FINALLY be on the big screen (and no I'm not gonna say which ones) You'll just have to wait for the movie & see!!! ? pic.twitter.com/aVTewH4t28

— Greg Russo (@WriterRusso) July 12, 2019

The HBO Max service has not yet been launched in the UK, but is predicted to be available in the second half of 2021.