Street Fighter Movie: Roman Reigns as Akuma, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Box Office and Reviews
Two of WWE's biggest stars are in movie theaters right now. Roman Reigns plays Akuma and Cody Rhodes plays Guile in Street Fighter, the new live-action film based on Capcom's famous fighting game series.
Here is everything you need to know about their roles, how the movie is doing at the box office, what critics are saying and how it has affected the two Superstars.
Street Fighter movie: the basics
- Release date: October 16, 2026
- Director: Kitao Sakurai
- Studios: Legendary Pictures and Capcom, with Paramount Pictures releasing the film in the United States
- Runtime: about two hours
- Story: in 1993, estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters are brought into the World Warrior Tournament by Chun-Li, where they have to face each other and their own demons.
The main cast includes Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, Callina Liang as Chun-Li and David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, with Jason Momoa as Blanka and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Balrog.
Roman Reigns as Akuma
Reigns plays Akuma, one of the most feared characters in Street Fighter history. Akuma first appeared in Super Street Fighter II Turbo in 1994 as a hidden boss, and he has been known ever since as a ruthless master of the dark fighting energy called the Satsui no Hado. It is the kind of role that fits the man WWE has called the Tribal Chief: quiet, intimidating and always the most dangerous person in the room.
This is not Reigns' first time on the big screen. He also appeared alongside Dwayne Johnson in Hobbs & Shaw in 2019.
Cody Rhodes as Guile
Rhodes plays Guile, the U.S. Air Force officer known for his flat-top hair and his Sonic Boom and Flash Kick moves. Guile has been one of the faces of the series since Street Fighter II in 1991, and Rhodes follows Jean-Claude Van Damme, who played the character in the 1994 film.
Rhodes has been one of the most talked-about parts of the movie. Critic The Hollywood News called him "a scene-stealing stunner," and entertainment journalist Joseph Deckelmeier wrote that "Cody Rhodes steals every scene he's in."
Street Fighter box office
Street Fighter finished first at the North American box office in its opening weekend, with an estimated $31 million in the United States and Canada and $20.1 million internationally, for about $51.1 million worldwide, according to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. That is the biggest domestic opening for a live-action Street Fighter film, bigger than the 1994 and 2009 movies combined.
The second week has been tougher. Ticket sales dropped about 73 percent on its first Monday to around $1.9 million, and the film You Can See Everything took the top spot for that day. Like most big releases, its final total will depend on how well it holds up over the next few weekends.
What the critics are saying
Reviews have been mixed. Street Fighter had a 44 percent critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes from its first 55 reviews, and Rotten Tomatoes summed up the first reviews as colorful, weird and noisy nonsense, but made with affection for the fans. In other words, critics were not won over, but people who grew up with the games may have a very different time.
What it means for WWE
The movie has already had a clear effect on search interest. Reigns was the most googled WWE Superstar in the world from October 15 to 21 for the third straight week, with twice the search interest of anyone else, and Rhodes jumped from fifth to second, with one of his biggest spikes coming on the day the film opened.
For WWE, having its two top stars in a major Hollywood release during the build to Crown Jewel is great timing. Reigns faces Sami Zayn at Crown Jewel on November 7, and every new fan who looks him up after seeing the movie is a potential new viewer. You can see both men's records and title history on Roman Reigns' profile and Cody Rhodes' profile.
Should you watch it?
If you are a Street Fighter fan, a WWE fan or both, it is worth seeing what all the noise is about, especially for Rhodes as Guile. Just go in expecting a loud, colorful video game movie rather than a serious drama. Have you seen it yet? Let us know what you thought of the Akuma and Guile on X.
