This time next week, we’ll be talking about  Mortal Kombat II ,  the sequel to the 2021 reboot. So far, impressions have been largely positive, calling it a big step up from the first—which is good, because that last movie felt like a happy accident. Before and during the 2021 reboot’s release, it had several feathers in its cap. It got off on the right foot by putting the gore and fights front and center in the first trailer. Whether intentional or just the result of a small marketing budget, this was the reboot’s only trailer, with the closest thing to a “ green band ” version playing more like an extended Super Bowl ad. It worked to the film’s advantage, as did being one of the first Warner Bros. movies to have a dual HBO Max/theatrical release due to the pandemic. Combine that with the franchise itself being in a generally good place back then and our current game adaptation boom being in its early days, it’s no wonder  Mortal Kombat  became HBO Max’s biggest film launch back then.…